TOM 
SWIFT 

AND  HIS 

ELECTRIC 
RIFLE 

VICTOR 
APPLETON 


University  of  California  •  Berkeley 

DONALD  SIDNEY-FRYER 
COLLECTION 


THE  ELEPHANTS  COULD  NOT  STAND  THE  FIRE  OF  TOMrS 

ELECTRIC  RIFLE. — Page  123. 
Tom  Swift  and  His  Electric  Rifle. 


TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS 
ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

OR 

Daring  Adventures  in  Elephant  Land 


BY 
VICTOR  APPLETON 

AUTHOR  or  "TOM  IWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR-CYCLE,"  "TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS 

AIRSHIP,"   "TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE,"   "TOM 
SWIFT  IN  THE  CAVES  OF  ICE,"   ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW  YORK 
GROSSET   &   DUNLAP 

PUBLISHERS 


BOOKS  BY  VICTOR  APPLETON 
THE  TOM  SWIFT  SERIES 


TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR-CYCLE 

Or  Fun  and  Adventure  on  the  Road 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR-BOAT 

Or  the  Rivals  of  Lake  Carlopa 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

Or  the  Stirring  Cruise  of  the  Red  Cloud 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  SUBMARINE  BOAT 

Or  Under  the  Ocean  for  Sunken  Treasure 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RUNABOUT 

Or  the  Speediest  Car  on  the  Road 
TOM  SWIFT  AND   HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

Or  the  Castaways  of  Earthquake  Island 
TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

Or  the  Secret  of  Phantom  Mountain 
TOM  SWIFT  IN  THE  CAVES  OF  ICE 

Or  the  Wreck  of  the  Airship 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  SKY  RACER 

Or  the  Quickest  Flight  on  Record 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

Or  Daring  Adventures  in  Elephant  Land 

(Other  Volumes  in  Preparation) 


ismo.    Cloth.    Illustrated.    Price,  J>er  volume,  40  cents, 
postpaid 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP 

PUBLISHERS  NEW  YORK 


COPYRIGHT,  1911,  BY 
GROSSET  &  DUNLAP 


Tom  Swift  and  His  Electric  RHU 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PACK 

I  TOM  WANTS  EXCITEMENT I 

II  TRYING  THE  NEW  GUN 9 

III  A  DIFFICULT  TEST 21 

IV  BIG  TUSKS  WANTED 31 

V  RUSH  WORK 39 

VI  NEWS  FROM  ANDY 45 

VII  THE  BLACK  HAWK  FLIES 52 

VIII  OFF  FOR  AFRICA 60 

IX  ATTACKED  BY  A  WHALE 69 

X  OFF  IN  THE  AIRSHIP 79 

XI  ANCHORED  TO  EARTH 88 

XII  AMONG  THE  NATIVES 97 

XIII  ON  AN  ELEPHANT  TRAIL 104 

XIV  A  STAMPEDE 113 

XV  LIONS  IN  THE  NIGHT 119 

XVI  SEEKING  THE  MISSIONARIES 127 

XVII  SHOTS  FROM  ABOVE 134 

XVIII  NEWS  OF  THE  RED  PYGMIES 141 

XIX  AN  APPEAL  FOR  HELP 153 

XX  THE  FIGHT 158  . 

Ill 


IT  CONTENTS, 

CHAPTER  PAG« 

XXI  DRIVEN  BACK 165 

XXII  A  NIGHT  ATTACK 170 

XXIII  THE  RESCUE 176 

XXIV  Two  OTHER  CAPTIVES 184 

XXV  THE  ROGUE  ELEPHANT — CONCLUSION 192 


TOM    SWIFT  AND  HIS 
ELECTRIC    RIFLE 

CHAPTER  I 

TOM  WANTS  EXCITEMENT 

"HAVE  you  anything  special  to  do  to-night, 
Ned?"  asked  Tom  Swift,  the  well-known  in- 
ventor, as  he  paused  in  front  of  his  chum's 
window,  in  the  Shopton  National  Bank. 

"No,  nothing  in  particular,"  replied  the  bank 
clerk,  as  he  stacked  up  some  bundles  of  bills. 
"Why  do  you  ask?" 

"I  wanted  you  to  come  over  to  the  house  for 
a  while." 

"Going  to  have  a  surprise  party,  or  something 
like  that?" 

"No,  only  I've  got  something  I'd  like  to  show 
you." 

"A  new  invention?" 

"Well,  not  exactly  new.  You've  seen  it  be- 
i 


2       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

fore,  but  not  since  I've  improved  it.  I'm  speak- 
ing oj  my  new  electric  rifle.  I've  got  it  ready 
to  try,  now,  and  I'd  like  to  see  what  you  think 
of  it.  There's  a  rifle  range  over  at  the  house, 
and  we  can  practice  some  shooting,  if  you 
haven't  anything  else  to  do." 

"I  haven't,  and  I'll  be  glad  to  come.  What 
are  you  doing  in  the  bank,  anyhow;  putting 
away  more  of  your  wealth,  Tom?" 

"Yes,  I  just  made  a  little  deposit.  It's  some 
money  I  got  from  the  government  for  the  pat- 
ents on  my  sky  racer,  and  I'm  salting  it  down 
here  until  dad  and  I  can  think  of  a  better  invest- 
ment." 

"Good  idea.  Bring  us  all  the  money  you 
can,"  and  the  bank  clerk,  who  held  a  small 
amount  of  stock  in  the  financial  institution, 
laughed,  his  chum  joining  in  with  him. 

"Well,  then,  I'll  expect  you  over  this  eve- 
ning," went  on  the  youthful  inventor,  as  he 
turned  to  leave  the  bank. 

"Yes,  I'll  be  there.  Say,  Tom,  have  you  heard 
the  latest  about  Andy  Foger?" 

"No,  I  haven't  heard  much  since  he  left  town 
right  after  I  beat  him  in  the  aeroplane  race  at 
Eagle  Park." 

"Well,  he's  out  of  town  all  right,  and  I  guess 
for  a  long  time  this  trip.  He's  gone  to  Europe." 


TOM  WANTS  EXCITEMENT  3, 

"To  Europe,  eh?  Well,  he  threatened  to  go 
there  after  he  failed  to  beat  me  in  the  race,  but 
I  thought  he  ,was  only  bluffing." 

"No,  he's  really  gone  this  time." 

"Well,  I,  for  one,  am  glad  of  it.  Did  he  take 
his  aeroplane  along?" 

"Yes,  that's  what  he  went  for.  It  seems  that 
this  Mr.  Landbacher,  the  German  who  really  in- 
vented it,  and  built  it  with  money  which  Mr. 
Foger  supplied,  has  an  idea  he  can  interest  the 
German  or  some  other  European  government 
in  the  machine.  Andy  wanted  to  go  along  with 
him,  and  as  Mr.  Foger  financed  the  scheme,  I 
guess  he  thought  it  would  be  a  good  thing  to  have 
some  one  represent  him.  So  Andy's  gone." 

"Then  he  won't  bother  me.  Well,  I  must  get 
along.  I'll  expect  you  over  to-night,"  and  with 
a  wave  of  his  hand  Tom  Swift  hurried  from 
the  bank. 

The  young  inventor  jumped  into  his  electric 
runabout  which  stood  outside  the  institution, 
and  was  about  to  start  off  when  he  saw  a  news- 
boy selling  papers  which  had  just  come  in  from 
New  York,  on  the  morning  train. 

"Here,  Jack,  give  me  a  Times"  called  Tom  to 
the  lad,  and  he  tossed  the  newsboy  a  nickel. 
Then,  after  glancing  at  the  front  page,  and 
noting  the  headings,  Tom  started  off  his  speedy 


4       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

car,  in  which,  on  one  occasion,  he  had  made  a 
great  run  against  time.  He  was  soon  at  home. 

"Well,  dad,  I've  got  the  money  safely  put 
away,"  he  remarked  to  an  aged  gentleman  who 
sat  in  the  library  reading  a  book.  "Now  we 
won't  have  to  worry  about  thieves  until  we  get 
some  more  cash  in." 

"Well,  I'm  glad  it's  coming  in  so  plentifully," 
said  Mr.  Swift  with  a  smile.  "Since  my  illness  I 
haven't  been  able  to  do  much,  Tom,  and  it  all 
depends  on  you,  now." 

"Don't  let  that  worry  you,  dad.  You'll  soon 
be  as  busy  as  ever,"  for,  following  a  serious  oper- 
ation for  an  ailment  of  the  heart,  Mr.  Swift, 
who  was  a  veteran  inventor,  had  not  been  able 
to  do  much.  But  the  devices  of  his  son,  espe- 
cially a  speedy  monoplane,  which  Tom  invented, 
and  sold  to  the  United  States  Government,  were 
now  bringing  them  in  a  large  income.  In  fact, 
with  royalties  from  his  inventions  and  some  gold 
and  diamonds  which  he  had  secured  on  two 
perilous  trips,  Tom  Swift  was  quite  wealthy. 

"I'll  never  be  as  busy  as  I  once  was,"  went  on 
Mr.  Swift,  a  little  regretfully,  "but  I  don't  know 
that  I  care  as  long  as  you  continue  to  turn  out 
new  machines,  Tom.  By  the  way,  how  is  the 
electric  rifle  coming  on?  I  haven't  heard  you 
speak  of  it  lately." 


TOM  WANTS  EXCITEMENT  5 

"It's  practically  finished,  dad.  It  worked  pretty 
well  the  time  I  took  it  when  we  went  on  the 
trip  to  the  caves  of  ice,  but  I've  improved  it 
very  much  since  then.  In  fact  I'm  going  to  give 
it  a  severe  test  to-night.  Ned  Newton  is  com- 
ing over,  and  it  may  be  that  then  we'll  find  out 
something  about  it  that  could  be  bettered.  But  I 
think  not.  It  suits  me  as  it  is." 

"So  Ned  is  coming  over  to  see  it;  eh?  You 
ought  to  have  Mr.  Damon  here  to  bless  it  a  few 
times." 

"Yes,  I  wish  I  did.  And  he  may  come  along 
at  any  moment,  as  it  is.  You  never  can  tell 
when  he  is  going  to  turn  up.  Mrs.  Baggert  says 
you  were  out  walking  while  I  was  at  the  bank, 
dad.  Do  you  feel  better  after  it?" 

"Yes,  I  think  I  do,  Tom.  Oh,  I'm  growing 
stronger  every  day,  but  it  will  take  time.  But 
now  tell  me  something  about  the  electric  gun." 

Thereupon  the  young  inventor  related  to  his 
father  some  facts  about  the  improvements  he 
had  recently  made  to  the  weapon.  It  was  din- 
ner time  when  he  had  finished,  and,  after  the 
meal  Tom  went  out  to  the  shed  where  he  built 
his  aeroplanes  and  his  airships,  and  in  which 
building  he  had  fitted  up  a  shooting  gallery. 

"I'll  get  ready  for  the  trial  to-night,"  he  said. 
"I  want  to  see  what  it  will  do  to  a  dummy 


6        TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

figure.  Guess  I'll  make  a  sort  of  scarecrow  and 
stuff  it  with  straw.  I'll  get  Eradicate  to  help 
me.  Rad!  I  say,  Rad!  Where  are  you?" 

"Heah  I  is,  Massa  Tom!  Heah  I  is!"  called 
a  colored  man  as  he  came  around  the  corner  of 
a  small  stable  where  he  kept  his  mule  Boome- 
rang. "Was  yo'-all  callin'  me?" 

"Yes,  Rad,  I  want  you  to  help  make  a  scare- 


crow." 


"A  scarecrow,  Massa  Tom!  Good  land  a' 
massy !  What  fo'  yo'  want  ob  a  scarecrow  ?  Yo'- 
all  ain't  raisin'  no  corn,  am  yo'?" 

"No,  but  I  want  something  to  shoot  at  when 
Ned  Newton  comes  over  to-night." 

"Suffint' shoot  at?  Why  Massa  Tom!  Good 
land  a'  massy!  Yo'-all  ain't  gwine  t'  hab  no 
duel,  am  yo'  ?" 

"No,  Rad,  but  I  want  a  life-size  figure  on 
which  to  try  my  new  electric  gun.  Here  are 
some  old  clothes,  and  if  you  will  stuff  them  with 
rags  and  straw,  and  fix  them  so  they'll  stand  up, 
they'll  do  first-rate.  Have  it  ready  by  night, 
and  set  it  up  at  the  far  end  of  the  shooting  gal- 
lery." 

"All  right,  Massa  Tom.  I'll  jest  do  dat,  fo' 
yo',"  and  leaving  the  colored  man  to  stuff  the 
figure,  after  he  had  showed  him  how,  Tom  went 


TOM  WANTS  EXCITEMENT  7 

back  into  the  house  to  read  the  paper  which  he 
had  purchased  that  morning. 

He  skimmed  over  the  news,  thinking  perhaps 
he  might  see  something  of  the  going  abroad  of 
Andy  Foger  with  the  German  aeroplane,  but 
there  was  nothing. 

"I  almost  wish  I  was  going  to  Europe," 
sighed  Tom.  "I  will  certainly  have  to  get  busy 
at  something,  soon.  I  haven't  had  any  ad- 
ventures since  I  won  the  prize  at  the  Eagle  Park 
aviation  meet  in  my  sky  racer.  Jove!  That  was 
some  excitement!  I'd  like  to  do  that  over  again, 
only  I  shouldn't  want  to  have  dad  so  sick,"  for 
just  before  the  race,  Tom  had  saved  his  father's 
life  by  making  a  quick  run  in  the  aeroplane,  to 
bring  a  celebrated  surgeon  to  the  invalid's  aid. 

"I  certainly  wish  I  could  have  some  new  ad- 
ventures/' mused  Tom,  as  he  turned  the  pages 
of  the  paper.  "I  could  afford  to  take  a  trip 
around  the  earth  after  them,  too,  with  the  way 
money  is  coming  in  now.  Yes,  I  do  wish  I  could 
have  some  excitement.  Hello,  what's  this!  A 
big  elephant  hunt  in  Africa.  Hundreds  of  the 
huge  creatures  captured  in  a  trap — driven  in  by 
tame  beasts.  Some  are  shot  for  their  tusks. 
Others  will  be  sent  to  museums." 

He  was  reading  the  headlines  of  the  article 
that  had  attracted  his  attention,  and,  as  he  read, 


8  -    TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

he  became  more  and  more  absorbed  in  it.  He 
read  the  story  through  twice,  and  then,  with 
sparkling  eyes,  he  exclaimed: 

"That's  just  what  I  want.  Elephant  shooting 
in  Africa !  My !  With  my  new  electric  rifle,  and 
an  airship,  what  couldn't  a  fellow  do  over  in  the 
dark  continent!  Fve  a  good  notion  to  go  there! 
I  wonder  if  Ned  would  go  with  me?  Mr.  Damon 
certainly  would.  Elephant  shooting  in  Africa! 
In  an  airship!  I  could  finish  my  new  sky  craft 
in  short  order  if  I  vanted  to.  I've  a  good  notion 
to  do  it !" 


CHAPTER   II 

TRYING  THE  NEW  GUN 

WHILE  Tom  Swift  is  thus  absorbed  in  think- 
ing about  a  chance  to  hunt  elephants,  we  will  take 
the  opportunity  to  tell  you  a  little  more  about 
him,  and  then  go  on  with  the  story. 

Many  of  you  already  know  the  young  in- 
ventor, but  those  who  do  not  may  be  interested 
in  hearing  that  he  is  a  young  American  lad, 
full  of  grit  and  ginger,  who  lives  with  his  aged 
father  in  the  town  of  Shopton,  in  New  York 
State.  Our  hero  was  first  introduced  to  the 
public  in  the  book,  "Tom  Swift  and  His  Motor- 
Cycle." 

In  that  volume  it  was  related  how  Tom 
bought  a  motor-cycle  from  a  Mr.  Wakefield 
Damon,  of  Waterford.  Mr.  Damon  was  an  ec- 
centric individual,  who  was  continually  blessing 
himself,  some  one  else,  or  something  belonging 
to  him.  His  motor-cycle  tried  to  climb  a  tree 
with  him,  and  that  was  why  he  sold  it  to  Tom. 

o 


10       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

The  two  thus  became  acquainted,  and  their 
friendship  grew  from  year  to  year. 

After  many  adventures  on  his  motor-cycle 
Tom  got  a  motor-boat,  and  had  some  exciting 
times  in  that.  One  of  the  things  he  and  his 
father  and  his  chum,  Ned  Newton,  did,  was  to 
rescue,  from  a  burning  balloon  that  had  fallen 
into  Lake  Carlopa,  an  aeronaut  named  John 
Sharp.  Later  Tom  and  Mr.  Sharp  built  an  air- 
ship, called  the  Red  Cloud,  and  with  Mr.  Damon 
and  some  others  had  a  series  of  remarkable 
flights. 

In  the  Red  Cloud  they  got  on  the  track  of 
some  bank  robbers,  and  captured  them,  thus 
foiling  the  plans  of  Andy  Foger,  a  town  bully, 
and  one  of  Tom's  enemies,  and  putting  to  con- 
fusion the  plot  of  Mr.  Foger,  Andy's  father. 

After  many  adventures  in  the  air  Tom  and  his 
friends,  in  a  submarine  boat,  invented  by  Mr. 
Swift,  went  under  the  ocean  for  sunken  treasure, 
and  secured  a  large  part  of  it. 

It  was  not  long  after  this  that  Tom  conceived 
the  idea  of  a  powerful  electric  car,  which  proved 
to  be  the  speediest  of  the  road,  and  in  it  he  won 
a  great  race,  and  saved  from  ruin  a  bank  in 
which  his  father  and  Mr.  Damon  were  interested. 

The  sixth  book  of  the  series,  entitled  "Tom 
Swift  and  His  Wireless  Message,"  tells  how,  in 


TRYING   THE  NEW  GUN  II 

testing  a  new  electric  airship,  which  a  friend  of 
Mr.  Damon's  had  invented,  Tom,  the  inventor 
and  Mr.  Damon  were  lost  on  an  island  in  the 
middle  of  the  ocean.  There  they  found  some 
castaways,  among  whom  were  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Nestor,  parents  of  Mary  Nestor  of  Shopton,  a 
girl  of  whom  Tom  was  quite  fond. 

Tom  Swift,  after  his  arrival  home,  went  on  an 
expedition  among  a  gang  of  men  known  as  the 
"Diamond  Makers"  who  were  hidden  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  He  was  accompanied  by 
Mr.  Barcoe  Jenks,  one  of  the  castaways  of 
Earthquake  Island.  They  found  the  diamond 
makers,  and  had  some  surprising  adventures, 
barely  excaping  with  their  lives. 

This  did  not  daunt  Tom,  however,  and  he 
once  more  started  off  on  an  expedition  in  his 
airship  the  Red  Cloud  to  Alaska,  amid  the  caves 
of  ice.  He  was  searching  for  a  valley  of  gold, 
and  though  he  and  his  friends  found  it,  they 
came  to  grief.  The  Fogers,  father  and  son,  tried 
to  steal  the  gold  from  them,  and,  failing  in  that, 
incited  the  Eskimos  against  our  friends.  There 
was  a  battle,  but  the  forces  of  nature  were  even 
more  to  be  dreaded  than  the  terrible  savages. 

The  ice  cave,  in  which  the  Red  Cloud  was 
stored,  collapsed,  crushing  the  gallant  craft,  and 


12       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

burying  it  out  of  sight  forever  under  thousands 
of  tons  of  the  frozen  bergs. 

After  a  desperate  journey  Tom  and  his  friends 
reached  civilization,  with  a  large  supply  of  gold. 
Tom  regretted  very  much  the  destruction  of  the 
airship,  but  he  at  once  set  to  work  on  another 
— a  monoplane  this  time,  instead  of  a  combined 
aeroplane  and  dirigible  balloon.  This  new  craft 
he  called  the  Humming  Bird  and  it  was  a  "sky 
racer"  of  terrific  speed.  In  it,  as  we  have  said, 
Tom  brought  a  specialist  to  operate  on  his 
father,  when,  because  of  a  broken  railroad 
bridge,  the  physician  could  not  otherwise  have 
gotten  to  Shopton.  He  and  Tom  traveled 
through  the  air  at  the  rate  of  over  one  hundred 
miles  an  hour.  Later,  Tom  took  part  in  a  big 
race  for  a  ten-thousand-dollar  prize,  and  won, 
defeating  Andy  Foger,  and  a  number  of  well- 
known  "bird-men"  who  used  biplanes  and 
monoplanes  of  a  more  or  less  familiar  type. 

The  government  became  interested  in  Tom's 
craft,  the  Humming  Bird,  and,  as  told  in  the 
ninth  book*  of  this  series,  "Tom  Swift  and  His 
Sky  Racer,"  they  secured  some  rights  in  the  in- 
vention. 

And  now  Tom,  who  had  done  nothing  for  sev- 
eral months  following  the  great  race — that  is, 


TRYING  THE  NEW  GUN  13 

nothing  save  to  work  on  his  new  rifle — Tom,  we 
say,  sighed  for  new  adventures. 

"Well,  Tom,  what  is  on  your  mind?"  asked 
his  father  at  the  supper  table  that  evening. 
"What  is  worrying  you?" 

"Nothing  is  worrying  me,  dad." 

You  are  thinking  of  something.  I  can  see 
that.  Are  you  afraid  your  electric  rifle  won't 
work  as  well  as  you  hope,  when  Ned  comes  over 
to  try  it?" 

"No,  it  isn't  that,  dad.  But  I  may  as  well  tell 
you,  I  guess.  I've  been  reading  in  the  paper 
about  a  big  elephant  hunt  in  Africa,  and  I " 

"That's  enough,  Tom!  You  needn't  say  any 
more,"  interrupted  Mr.  Swift.  "I  can  see  which 
way  the  wind  is  blowing.  You  want  to  go  to 
Africa  with  your  new  rifle." 

"Well,  dad,  not  exactly — that  is " 

"Now,  Tom,  you  needn't  deny  it,"  and  Mr. 
Swift  laughed.  "Well,  I  don't  blame  you  a  bit. 
You  have  been  rather  idle  of  late." 

"I  ivould  like  to  go,  dad,"  admitted  the  young- 
inventor,  "only  I'd  never  think  of  it  while  you 
weren't  well." 

"Don't  worry  about  me,  Tom.  Of  course  I 
will  be  lonesome  while  you  are  gone,  but  don't 
let  that  stand  in  the  way.  If  you  want  to  go  to 


14       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

Africa,  you  may  start  to-morrow,  and  take  your 
new  rifle  with  you." 

"The  rifle  part  would  be  all  right,  dad,  but  if 
I  went  I'd  want  to  take  an  airship  along,  and  it 
'will  take  me  some  little  time  to  finish  the  Black 
Hawk  as  I  have  named  my  new  craft. " 

"Well,  there's  no  special  hurry,  is  there?" 
asked  Mr.  Swift.  "The  elephants  in  Africa  are 
likely  to  stay  there  for  some  time.  If  you  want 
to  go,  why  don't  you  get  right  to  work  on  the 
Black  Hawk  and  make  the  trip?  I'd  like  to  go 
myself." 

"I  wish  you  would,  dad,"  exclaimed  Tom 
eagerly. 

"No,  son,  I  couldn't  think  of  it.  I  want  to 
stay  here  and  get  well.  Then  I  am  going  to  re- 
sume work  on  my  wireless  motor.  Perhaps  I'll 
have  it  finished  when  you  come  back  from 
Africa  with  an  airship  load  of  elephants'  tusks." 

"Perhaps,"  admitted  the  young  inventor. 
"Well,  dad,  I'll  think  of  it.  But  now  I'm  going 
after  my  rifle,  and " 

Tom  was  interrupted  by  a  ring  of  the  front- 
door bell,  and  Mrs.  Baggert,  the  housekeeper, 
who  was  almost  like  a  mother  to  the  youth,  went 
to  answer  it. 

"It's  Ned  Newton,  I  guess,"  murmured  Tom, 
and,  a  little  later,  his  chum  entered  the  room. 


TRYING  THE  NEW  GUN  15 

"Oh,  I  -guess  I'm  early,"  said  Ned.  "Haven't 
you  had  supper  yet,  Tom?" 

"Yes,  we're  just  finished^  Come  on  out  and 
we'll  try  the  gun.'7 

"And  practice  shooting  elephants,"  added 
Mr.  Swift  with  a  laugh,  as  he  mentioned  to  Ned 
the  latest  idea  of  Tom. 

"Say!  That  would  be  great!"  cried  the  bank 
clerk.  "I  wish  I  could  go!" 

"Come  along!"  invited  Tom  cordially.  "We'll 
have  more  fun  than  we  did  in  the  caves  of  ice," 
for  Ned  had  gone  on  the  voyage  to  Alaska. 

The  two  youths  went  out  to  the  shed  where 
the  rifle  gallery  had  been  built.  The  new  elec- 
tric weapon  was  out  there,  and  Eradicate  Samp- 
son, the  colored  man,  who  was  a  sort  of  servant 
and  man-of-all-work  about  the  Swift  household, 
had  set  up  the  scarecrow  figure  at  the  end  of  the 
gallery. 

"Now  we'll  try  some  shots,"  said  Tom,  as  he 
took  the  gun  out  of  the  case.  "Just  turn  on  a 
iew  more  lights,  will  you,  Mr.  Jackson,"  and  the 
engineer,  who  was  employed  by  Tom  and  his 
father  to  aid  them  in  their  inventive  work,  did 
as  requested. 

The  gallery  was  now  brilliantly  illuminated, 
with  the  reflectors  throwing  the  beams  on  the 
big  stuffed  figure,  which,  save  for  a  face,  looked 


16       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

very  much  like  a  human  being,  standing  at  the 
end  of  the  gallery. 

"I  don't  suppose  you  want  to  go  down  there 
and  hold  it,  while  I  shoot  at  it;  do  you,  Rad?" 
asked  Tom  jokingly,  as  he  prepared  the  electric 
rifle  for  use. 

"No,  indeedy,  I  don't !"  cried  Eradicate.  "Yo'- 
all  will  hab  t'  scuse  me,  Massa  Tom.  I  think  I'll 
be  goin'  now." 

"What's  your  hurry?"  asked  Ned,  as  he  saw 
the  colored  man  hastily  preparing  to  leave  the 
improvised  gallery. 

"I  spects  I'd  better  fro'  down  some  mo*  straw 
fo'  a  bed  fo*  my  mule  Boomerang!"  exclaimed 
Eradicate,  as  he  hastily  slid  out  of  the  dopr,  and 
shut  it  after  him. 

"Rad  is  nervous,"  remarked  Tom.  "He  does- 
n't like  this  gun.  Well,  it  certainly  does  great 
execution." 

"How  does  it  work?"  asked  Ned,  as  he  looked 
at  the  curious  gun.  The  electric  weapon  was 
not  unlike  an  ordinary  heavy  rifle  in  appearance, 
save  that  the  barrel  was  a  little  longer,  and  the 
stock  larger  in  every  way.  There  were  also  a 
number  of  wheels,  levers,  gears  and  gages  on  the 
stock. 

"It   works  by  electricity,"   explained   Tom. 


TRYING  THE  NEW  GUN  17 

"That  is,  the  force  comes  from  a  powerful  cur- 
rent of  stored  electricity." 

"Oh,  then  you  have  storage  batteries  in  the 
stock?" 

"Not  exactly.    There  are  no  batteries,  but  the  , 
current  is  a  sort  of  wireless  kind.     It  is  stored 
in  a  cylinder,  just  as  compressed  air  or  gases  are 
stored,  and  can  be  released  as  I  need  it." 

"And  when  it's  all  gone,  what  do  you  do?" 

"Make  more  power  by  means  of  a  small  dy- 
namo." 

"And  does  it  shoot  lead  bullets?" 

"Not  at  all.    There  are  no  bullets  used." 

"Then  how  does  it  kill?" 

"By  means  of  a  concentrated  charge  of  elec- 
tricity which  is  shot  from  the  barrel  with  great 
force.  You  can't  see  it,  yet  it  is  there.  It's  just 
as  if  you  concentrated  a  charge  of  electricity  of 
five  thousand  volts  into  a  small  globule  the  size 
of  a  bullet.  That  flies  through  space,  strikes  the 
object  aimed  at  and — well,  we'll  see  what  it  does 
in  a  minute.  Mr.  Jackson,  just  put  that  steel 
plate  up  in  front  of  the  scarecrow;  will  you?" 

The  engineer  proceeded  to  put  into  place  a 
section  of  steel  armor-plate  before  the  stuffed 
figure. 

"You  don't  mean  to  say  you're  going  to  shoot 
through  that,  do  you?"  asked  Ned  in  surprise. 


18       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

"Surely.  The  electric  bullets  will  pierce  any- 
thing. They'll  go  through  a  brick  wall  as  easily 
as  the  x-rays  do.  That's  one  valuable  feature 
of  my  rifle.  You  don't  have  to  see  the  object 
]you  aim  at.  In  fact  you  can  fire  through  a 
house,  and  kill  something  on  the  other  side." 

"I  should  think  that  would  be  dangerous." 

"It  would  be,  only  I  can  calculate  exactly,  by 
means  of  an  automatic  arrangement,  just  how 
far  the  charge  of  electricity  will  go.  It  stops 
short  just  at  the  limit  of  the  range,  and  is  not 
effective  beyond  that.  Otherwise,  if  I  did  not 
limit  it  and  if  I  fired  at  the  scarecrow,  through 
the  piece  of  steel,  and  the  bullet  hit  the  figure, 
it  would  go  on,  passing  through  whatever  else 
was  in  the  way,  until  its  power  was  lost.  I  use 
the  term  'bullet/  though  as  I  said,  it  isn't  prop- 
erly one." 

"By  Jove,  Tom,  it  certainly  is  a  dangerous 
weapon!" 

"Yes,    the   range-limit   idea  is   a  new   one. 

That's  what  I've  been  working  on  lately.    There 

•)  are  other  features  of  the  gun  which  I'll  explain 

[  later,  particularly  the  power  it  has  to  shoot  out 

luminous  balls  of  light.    But  now  we'll  see  what 

it  will  do  to  the  image." 

Tom  took  his  place  at  the  end  of  the  range, 
and  began  to  adjust  some  valves  and  levers.  In 


TRYING  THE  NEW  GUN  19 

spite  of  the  fact  that  the  gun  was  larger  than  an 
ordinary  rifle,  it  was  not  as  heavy  as  the  United 
States  Army  weapon. 

Tom  aimed  at  the  armor-plate,  and,  by  means 
of  an  arrangement  on  the  rifle,  he  could  tell 
exactly  when  he  was  pointing  at  the  scarecrow, 
even  though  he  could  not  see  it. 

"Here  she  goes!"  he  suddenly  exclaimed. 

Ned  watched  his  chum.  The  young  inventor 
pressed  a  small  button  at  the  side  of  the  rifle 
barrel,  about  where  the  trigger  should  have 
been.  There  was  no  sound,  no  smoke,  no  flame 
and  not  the  slightest  jar. 

Yet  as  Ned  watched  he  saw  the  steel  plate 
move  slightly.  The  next  instant  the  scarecrow 
figure  seemed  to  fly  all  to  pieces.  There  was  a 
shower  of  straw,  rags  and  old  clothes,  which  fell 
in  a  shapeless  heap  at  the  end  of  the  range. 

"Say,  I  guess  you  did  for  that  fellow,  all 
right!"  exclaimed  Ned. 

"It  looks  so,"  admitted  Tom,  with  a  note  of 
pride  in  his  voice.  "Now  we'll  try  another  test." 

As  he  laid  aside  his  rifle  in  order  to  help  Mr. 
Jackson  shift  the  steel  plate  there  was  a  series  of 
yells  outside  the  shed. 

"What's  that?"  asked  Tom,  in  some  alarm. 

"Sounds  like  some  one  calling,"  answered 
Ned. 


20       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

"It  is,"  agreed  Mr.  Jackson.  "Perhaps  Erad- 
icate's  mule  has  gotten  loose.  I  guess  we'd 

better " 

I  He  did  not  finish,  for  the  shouts  increased  in 
volume,  and  Tom  and  Ned  could  hear  some  one 
yelling: 

"I'll  have  the  law  on  you  for  this!  I'll  have 
you  arrested,  Tom  Swift!  What  do  you  mean 
by  trying  to  kill  me?  Where  are  you?  Don't 
try  to  hide  away,  now.  You  were  trying  to 
shoot  me,  and  I'm  not  going  to  have  it!" 

Some  one  pounded  on  the  door  of  the  shed. 

"It's  Barney  Moker!"  exclaimed  Tom.  "I 
wonder  what  can  have  happened?" 


CHAPTER  III 

A   DIFFICULT   TEST 

TOM  SWIFT  opened  the  door  of  the  improvised 
rifle  gallery  and  looked  out.  By  the  light  of  a 
full  moon,  which  shone  down  from  a  cloudless 
sky,  he  saw  a  man  standing  at  the  portal.  The 
man's  face  was  distorted  with  rage,  and  he 
shook  his  fist  at  the  young  inventor. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  shooting  at  me?"  he 
demanded.  "What  do  you  mean,  I  say?  The 
idea  of  scaring  honest  folks  out  of  their  wits, 
and  making  'em  think  the  end  of  the  world  has 
come!  What  do  you  mean  by  it?  Why  don't 
you  answer  me?  I  say,  Tom  Swift,  why  don't 
you  answer  me?" 

"Because  you  don't  give  me  a  chance,  Mr. 
Moker,"  replied  our  hero. 

"I  want  to  know  why  you  shot  at  me?  I 
demand  to  know!"  and  Mr.  Moker,  who  was  a 
sort  of  miserly  town  character,  living  all  alone 
iua  small  house,  just  beyond  Tom's  home,  again 

21 


22       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

shook  his  fist  almost  in  the  lad's  face.  "Why 
don't  you  tell  me?  Why  don't  you  tell  me?" 
he  shouted. 

"I  will,  if  you  give  me  a  chance!"  fairly  ex- 
ploded Tom.  "If  you  can  be  cool  for  five 
minutes,  and  come  inside  and  tell  me  what  hap- 
pened I'll  be  glad  to  answer  any  of  your  ques- 
tions, Mr.  Moker.  I  didn't  shoot  at  you." 

"Yes,  you  did!  You  tried  to  shoot  a  hole 
through  me!" 

"Tell  me  about  it?"  suggested  Tom,  as  the 
excited  man  calmed  down  somewhat.  "Are  you 
hurt?" 

"No,  but  it  isn't  your  fault  that  I'm  not.  You 
tried  hard  enough  to  hurt  me.  Here  I  am,  sit- 
ting at  my  table  reading,  and,  all  at  once  some- 
thing goes  through  the  side  of  the  house, 
whizzes  past  my  ear,  makes  my  hair  fairly  stand 
up  on  end,  and  goes  outside  the  other  side  of  the 
house.  Wrhat  kind  of  bullets  do  you  use,  Tom 
Swift?  that's  what  I  want  to  know.  They  went 
through  the  side  of  my  house,  and  never  left  a 
mark.  I  demand  to  know  what  kind  they  are." 

"I'll  tell  you,  if  you'll  only  give  me  a  chance," 
went  on  Tom  wearily.  "How  do  you  know  it 
Was  me  shooting?" 

"How  do  I  know?    Why,  doesn't  the  end  of 


'A  DIFFICULT  TEST  23 

this  shooting  gallery  of  yours  point  right  at  my 
house?  Of  course  it  does;  you  can't  deny  it!" 

Tom  did  not  attempt  to,  and  Mr.  Moker 
went  on: 

"Now  what  do  you  mean  by  it?" 

"If  any  of  the  bullets  from  my  electric  gun 
went  near  you,  it  was  a  mistake,  and  I'm  sorry 
for  it,"  said  Tom. 

"Well,  they  did,  all  right,"  declared  the  ex- 
cited man.  "They  went  right  past  my  ear." 

"I  don't  see  how  they  could,"  declared  Tom. 
"I  was  trying  my  new  electric  rifle,  but  I  had  the 
limit  set  for  two  hundred  feet,  the  length  of  the 
gallery.  That  is,  the  electrical  discharge  couldn't 
go  beyond  that  distance." 

"I  don't  know  what  it  was,  but  it  went 
through  the  side  of  my  house  all  the  same,"  in- 
sisted Mr.  Moker.  "It  didn't  make  a  hole,  but 
it  scorched  the  wall  paper  a  little." 

"I  don't  see  how  it  could,"  declared  Tom.  "It 
couldn't  possibly  have  gone  over  two  hundred 
feet  with  the  gage  set  for  that  distance."  He 
paused  suddenly,  and  hurried  over  to  where  he 
had  placed  his  gun.  Catching  up  the  weapon  he 
looked  at  the  gage  dial.  Then  he  uttered  an 
exclamation. 

"I'm  sorry  to  admit  that  you  are  right,  Mr. 
Moker!"  he  said  finally.  "I  made  a  mistake.  The 


24       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

gage  is  set  for  a  thousand  feet  instead  of  two 
hundred.  I  forgot  to  change  it.  The  charge, 
after  passing  through  the  steel  plate,  and  the 
scarecrow  figure,  destroying  the  latter,  went  on, 
and  shot  through  the  side  of  your  house." 

"Ha!  I  knew  you  were  trying  to  shoot  me!" 
exclaimed  the  still  angry  man.  "Fll  have  the 
law  on  you  for  this!" 

"Oh,  that's  all  nonsense!"  broke  in  Ned  New- 
ton. "Everybody  knows  Tom  Swift  wouldn't 
try  to  shoot  you,  or  any  one  else,  Mr.  Moker." 

"Then  why  did  he  shoot  at  me?" 

"That  was  a  mistake,"  explained  Tom,  "and 
I  apologize  to  you  for  it." 

"Humph!  A  lot  of  good  that  would  do  me, 
if  I'd  been  killed!"  muttered  the  miser.  "I'm 
going  to  sue  you  for  this.  You  might  have  put 
me  in  my  grave." 

"Impossible!"  exclaimed  Tom. 

"Why  impossible?"  demanded  the  visitor. 

"Because  I  had  so  set  the  rifle  that  almost  the 
entire  force  of  the  electrical  bullet  was  expended 
in  blowing  apart  the  scarecrow  figure  I  made  , 
for  a  test,"  explained  Tom.     "All  that  passed  ' 
through  your  house  was  a  small  charge,  and,  if 
it  had  hit  you  there  would  have  been  no  more 
than  a  little  shock,  such  as  you  would  feel  in 
taking  hold  of  an  electric  battery." 


A  DIFFICULT  TEST  25 

"How  do  I  know  this?"  asked  the  man  cun- 
ningly. "You  say  so,  but  for  all  I  know  you 
may  have  wanted  to  kill  me." 

"Why?"  asked  Tom,  trying  not  to  laugh. 

"Oh,  so  you  might  get  some  of  my  money. 
Of  course  I  ain't  got  none,"  the  miser  went  on 
quickly,  "but  folks  thinks  I've  got  a  lot,  and  I 
have  to  be  on  the  lookout  all  the  while,  or 
they'd  murder  me  for  it." 

"I  wouldn't,"  declared  the  young  inventor. 
"It  was  a  mistake.  Only  part  of  the  spent 
charge  passed  near  you.  Why,  if  it  had  been  a 
powerful  charge  you  would  never  have  been  able 
to  come  over  here.  I  set  the  main  charge  to  go 
off  inside  the  scarecrow,  and  it  did  so,  as  you 
can  see  by  looking  at  what's  left  of  it,"  and  he 
pointed  to  the  pile  of  clothes  and  rags. 

"How  do  I  know  this?"  insisted  the  miser 
with  a  leer  at  the  two  lads. 

"Because  if  the  charge  had  gone  off  either  be- 
fore or  after  it  passed  through  the  figure,  it 
would  not  have  caused  such  havoc  of  the  cloth 
and  straw,"  explained  Tom.  "First  the  charge 
would  have  destroyed  the  steel  plate  which  it 
passed  through  without  even  denting  it.  Why, 
look  here,  I  will  now  fire  the  rifle  at  short  range, 
and  set  it  to  destroy  the  plate.  See  what 
happens." 


26      TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

He  quickly  adjusted  the  weapon,  and  aimed 
it  at  the  plate,  which,  had  again  been  set  up  on 
the  range.  This  time  Tom  was  careful  to  set 
the  gage  so  that  even  a  small  part  of  the  spent 
charge  would  not  go  outside  the  gallery. 

The  young  inventor  pressed  the  button,  and 
instantly  the  heavy  steel  plate  was  bent,  torn 
and  twisted  as  though  a  small  sized  cannon  ball 
had  gone  through  it. 

"That's  what  the  rifle  will  do  at  short  range," 
said  Tom.  "Don't  worry,  Mr.  Moker,  you 
didn't  have  a  narrow  escape.  You  were  in  no 
.danger  at  all,  though  I  apologize  for  the  fright 
I  caused  you." 

"Humph!  That's  an  easy  way  to  get  out  of 
it!"  exclaimed  the  miser.  "I  believe  I  could  sue 
you  for  damages,  anyhow.  Look  at  my  scorched 
wall  paper." 

"Oh,  I'll  pay  for  that,"  said  Tom  quickly,  for 
he  did  not  wish  to  have  trouble  with  the  un- 
pleasant man.  'Will  ten  dollars  be  enough?" 
He  knew  that  the  whole  room  could  be  repa- 
pered  for  that,  and  he  did  not  believe  the  wall- 
covering was  sufficiently  damaged  for  such  work 
to  be  necessary. 

"Well,  if  you'll  make  it  twelve  dollars,  I  won't 
say.  anything  more  about  it,"  agreed  the  miser 
craftily,  "though  it's  worth  thirteen  dollars,  if 


A  DIFFICULT  TEST  27 

it  is  a  penny.  Give  me  twelve  dollars,  Tom 
Swift,  and  I  won't  prosecute  you." 

"All  right,  twelve  dollars  it  shall  be,"  re- 
sponded the  young  inventor,  passing  over  the 
'money,  and  glad  to  be  rid  of  the  unpleasant 
character. 

"And  after  this,  just  fire  that  gun  of  yours 
the  other  way,"  suggested  Mr.  Moker  as  he 
went  out,  carefully  folding  the  bills  which  Tom 
had  handed  him. 

"Hum!  that  was  rather  queer,"  remarked 
Ned,  after  a  pause. 

"It  sure  was,"  agreed  his  chum.  "This  rifle 
will  do  more  than  I  thought  it  would.  I'll  have 
to  be  more  careful.  I  was  sure  I  set  the  gage 
for  two  hundred  feet.  I'll  have  to  invent  some 
automatic  attachment  to  prevent  it  being  dis- 
charged when  the  gage  is  set  wrong."  Let  us 
state  here  that  Tom  did  this,  and  never  had  an- 
other accident. 

"Well,  does  this  end  the  test?"  asked  Ned. 

"No,  indeed.  I  want  you  to  try  it,  while  I  look 
on,"  spoke  Tom.  "We  haven't  any  more  stuffed 
figures  to  fire  at,  but  I'll  set  up  some  targets. 
Come  on,  try  your  luck  as  a  shot." 

"I'm  afraid  I  might  disturb  Mr.  Moker,  or 
some  of  the  neighbors." 

"No  danger.    I've  got  it  adjusted  right  now. 


28       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

Come  on,  see  if  you  can  shatter  this  steel  tar- 
get/' and  Tom  set  up  a  small  one  at  the  end  of 
the  range. 

Then,  having  properly  fixed  the  weapon,  Tom 
handed  it  to  his  chum,  and,  taking  his  place  in  a 
protected  part  of  the  gallery,  prepared  to  watch 
the  effect  of  the  shot. 

"Let  her  go!"  cried  Tom,  and  Ned  pressed 
the  button. 

The  effect  was  wonderful.  Though  there  was 
no  noise,  smoke  nor  flame,  the  steel  plate 
seemed  to  crumple  up,  and  collapse  as  if  it  had! 
been  melted  in  the  fire.  There  was  a  jagged 
hole  through  the  center,  but  some  frail  boards 
back  of  it  were  not  even  splintered. 

"Good  shot!"  cried  Tom  enthusiastically.  "I 
had  the  distance  gage  right  that  time." 

"You  sure  did,"  agreed  Ned.  "The  electric 
bullet  stopped  as  soon  as  it  did  its  work  on  the 
plate.  What's  next?" 

"I'm  going  to  try  a  difficult  test,"  explained 
Tom.  "You  know  I  said  the  gun  would  shoot 
luminous  charges?" 

"Yes." 

"Well,  I'm  going  to  try  that,  now.  I  wish  we 
had  another  image  to  shoot  at,  but  I'll  take  a 
big  dry-goods  box,  and  make  believe  it's  an 
elephant.  Now,  this  is  going  to  be  a  hard  test, 


A  DIFFICULT  TEST  29 

such  as  we'd  meet  with,  if  we  were  hunting  in 
Africa.  I  want  you  to  help  me." 

"What  am  I  to  do?"  asked  Ned. 

"I  want  you  to  go  outside,"  explained  Tom, 
"set  up  a  dry-goods  box  against  the  side  of  the 
little  hill  back  of  the  shed,  and  not  tell  me  where 
you  put  it.  Then  I'll  go  out,  and,  by  means  of 
the  luminous  charge,  I'll  locate  the  box,  set  the 
distance  gage,  and  destroy  it." 

"Well,  you  can  see  it  anyhow,  in  the  moon- 
light," objected  Ned. 

"No,  the  moon  is  under  a  cloud  now,"  ex- 
plained Tom,  looking  out  of  a  window.  "It's 
quite  dark,  and  will  give  me  just  the  test  I  want 
for  my  new  electric  rifle." 

"But  won't  it  be  dangerous,  firing  in  the  dark? 
Suppose  you  misjudge  the  distance,  and  the 
bullet,  or  charge,  flies  off  and  hits  some  one?" 

"It  can't.  I'll  set  the  distance  gage  before  I 
shoot.  But  if  I  should  happen  to  make  a  mis- 
take the  charge  will  go  into  the  side  of  the  hill, 
and  spend  itself  there.  There  is  no  danger.  Go 
ahead,  and  set  up  the  box,  and  then  come  and 
tell  me.  Mr.  Jackson  will  help  you." 

Ned  and  the  engineer  left  the  gallery.  As 
Tom  had,  said,  it  was  very  dark  now,  and  if  Tom 
could  see  in  the  night  to  hit  a  box  some  distance 


30       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

away,  his  weapon  would  be  all  that  he  claimed 
for  it. 

"This  will  do/'  said  the  engineer,  as  he  pointed 
to  a  box,  one  of  several  piled  up  outside  the 
shed.  The  two  could  hardly  see  to  make  their 
way  along,  carrying  it  to  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and 
they  stumbled  several  times.  But  at  last  it  was 
in  position,  and  then  Ned  departed  to  call  Tom, 
and  have  him  try  the  difficult  test — that  of  hit- 
ting an  object  in  the  dark. 


CHAPTER  IV 

BIG  TUSKS  WANTED 

"WELL,  are  you  all  ready  for  me?"  asked  the 
young  inventor,  as  he  took  up  his  curious 
weapon,  and  followed  Ned  out  into  the  yard.  It 
was  so  dark  that  they  had  fairly  to  stumble 
along. 

"Yes,  we're  ready,"  answered  Ned.  "And 
you'll  be  a  good  one,  Tom,  if  you  do  this  stunt. 
Now  stand  here,"  he  went  on,  as  he  indicated  a 
place  as  well  as  he  could  in  the  dark.  "The  box 
is  somewhere  in  that  direction,"  and  he  waved 
his  hand  vaguely.  "I'm  not  going  to  tell  you 
any  more,  and  let's  see  you  find  it." 

"Oh,  I  will,  all  right — or,  rather,  my  electric 
rifle  will,"  asserted  Tom. 

The  inventor  of  the  curious  and  terrible 
weapon  took  his  position.  Behind  him  stood 
Ned  and  Mr.  Jackson,  and  just  before  Tom  was 
ready  to  fire,  his  father  came  stalking  through 
the  darkness,  calling  to  them. 
31 


32       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

"Are  you  there,  Tom?" 

"Yes  dad,  is  anything  the  matter?" 

"No,  but  I  thought  I'd  like  to  see  what  luck 
you  have.  Rad  was  saying  you  were  going  to 
have  a  test  in  the  dark." 

"I'm  about  ready  for  it,"  replied  Tom.  "I'm 
going  to  blow  up  a  box  that  I  can't  see.  You 
know  how  it's  done,  dad,  for  you  helped  me  in 
perfecting  the  luminous  charge,  but  it's  going 
to  be  something  of  a  novelty  to  the  others. 
Here  we  go,  now!" 

Tom  raised  his  rifle,  and  aimed  it  in  the  dark. 
Ned  Newton,  straining  his  eyes  to  see,  was  sure 
the  young  inventor  was  pointing  the  gun  at 
least  twenty  feet  to  one  side  of  where  the  box 
was  located,  but  he  said  nothing,  for  from  ex- 
periences in  the  past,  he  realized  that  Tom  knew 
what  he  was  doing. 

There  was  a  little  clicking  sound,  as  the  youtH 
moved  some  gear  wheel  on  his  gun.  Then  there 
came  a  faint  crackling  noise,  like  some  distant 
wireless  apparatus  beginning  to  flash  a  message 
through  space. 

Suddenly  a  little  ball  of  purplish  light  shot 
through  the  darkness  and  sped  forwar.d  like 
some  miniature  meteor.  It  shed  a  curious  illu- 
minating glow  all  about,  and  the  ground,  and 


BIG  TUSKS  WANTED  33 

the  objects  on  it,  were  brought  into  relief  as  by 
a  lightning  flash. 

An  instant  later  the  light  increased  in  inten- 
sity, and  seemed  to  burst  like  some  piece  of 
aerial  fireworks.  There  was  a  bright  glare,  in 
which  Ned  and  the  others  could  see  the  various 
buildings  about  the  shed.  They  could  see  each 
other's  faces,  and  they  looked  pale  and  ghastly 
in  the  queer  glow.  They  could  see  the  box, 
brought  into  bold  relief,  where  Ned  and  the  en- 
gineer had  placed  it. 

Then,  before  the  light  had  died  away,  they 
witnessed  a  curious  sight.  The  heavy  wooden 
box  seemed  to  dissolve,  to  collapse  and  to 
crumple  up  like  one  of  paper,  and  ere  the  last 
rays  of  the  illuminating  bullet  faded,  the  watchers 
saw  the  splinters  of  wood  fall  back  with  a  clatter 
in  a  little  heap  on  the  spot  where  the  dry-goods 
case  had  been. 

A  silence  followed,  and  the  darkness  was  all 
the  blacker  by  contrast  with  the  intense  light. 
At  length  Tom  spoke,  and  he  could  not  keep 
from  his  voice  a  note  of  triumph. 

"Well,  did  I  do  it?"  he  asked. 

"You  sure  did!"  exclaimed  Ned  heartily. 

"Fine!"  cried  Mr.  Swift. 

"Golly!  I  wouldn't  gib  much  fo'  de  hide  o*b 
any  burglar  what  corned  around  heah!"  mut- 


34       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

tered  Eradicate  Sampson.  "Dat  box  am 
knocked  clean  into  nuffiness,  Massa  Tom." 

"That's  what  I  wanted  to  do,"  explained  the 
lad.  "And  I  guess  this  will  end  the  test  for  to- 
night." 

"But  I  don't  exactly  understand  it,"  spoke 
Ned,  as  they  all  moved  toward  the  Swift  home. 
Eradicate  going  to  the  stable  to  see  how  his 
mule  was.  "Do  you  have  two  kinds  of  bullets, 
Tom,  one  for  night  and  one  for  the  daytime?" 

"No,"  answered  Tom,  "there  is  only  one  kind 
of  bullet,  and,  as  I  have  said,  that  isn't  a  bullet 
at  all.  That  is,  you  can't  see  it,  or  handle  it, 
but  you  can  feel  it.  Strictly  speaking,  it  is  a 
concentrated  discharge  of  wireless  electricity, 
directed  against  a  certain  object.  You  can't  see 
it  any  more  than  you  can  see  a  lightning  bolt, 
though  that  is  sometimes  visible  as  a  ball  of  fire. 
My  electric  rifle  bullets  are  similar  to  a  dis- 
charge of  lightning,  except  that  they  are  in- 
visible." 

"But  we  saw  the  one  just  now,"  objected  Ned. 

\     "No,  you  didn't  see  the  bullet,"  said  Tom. 

»'"You  saw  the  illuminating  flash  which  I  send 

out  just  before  I  fire,  to  reveal  the  object  I  am 

to  hit.    That  is  another  part  of  my  rifle  and  is 

only  used  at  night. 

"You  see  I  shoot  out  a  ball  of  electrical  fire 


BIG  TUSKS  WANTED 


35 


which  will  disclose  the  target,  or  the  enemy  at 
whom  I  am  firing.  As  soon  as  that  is  discharged 
the  rifle  automatically  gets  ready  to  shoot  the 
electric  charge,  and  I  have  only  to  press  the 
proper  button,  and  the  'bullet/  as  I  call  it,  fol- 
lows on  the  heels  of  the  ball  of  light.  Do  you 
see?" 

"Perfectly,"  exclaimed  Ned  with  a  laugh. 
"What  a  gun  that  would  be  for  hunting,  since 
most  all  wild  beasts  come  out  only  at  night." 

"That  was  one  object  in  making  this  inven- 
tion," said  Tom.  "I  only  hope  I  get  a  chance 
to  use  it  now." 

"I  thought  you  were  going  to  Africa  after 
elephants,"  spoke  Mr.  Swift. 

"Well,  I  did  think  of  it,"  admitted  Tom,  "but 
I  haven't  made  any  definite  plans.  But  come 
into  the  house,  Ned,  and  I'll  show  you  more  in 
detail  how  my  rifle  works." 

Thereupon  the  two  chums  spent  some  time 
going  into  the  mysteries  of  the  new  weapon, 
Mr.  Swift  and  Mr.  Jackson  were  also  much  in- 
terested, for,  though  they  had  seen  the  gun 
previously  and  had  helped  Tom  perfect  it,  they 
had  not  yet  tired  of  discussing  its  merits. 

Ned  stayed  quite  late  that  night,  and  prom- 
ised to  come  over  the  next  day,  and  watch  Tom 
do  some  more  shooting. 


36       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

"I'll  show  you  how  to  use  it,  too,"  promised 
the  young  inventor,  and  he  was  as  good  as  his 
word,  initiating  Ned  into  the  mysteries  of  the 
electric  rifle,  and  showing  him  to  store  the 
charges  of  death-dealing  electricity  in  the  queer- 
looking  stock. 

For  a  week  after  that  Tom  and  Ned  practiced 
with  the  terrible  gun,  taking  care  not  to  have 
any  more  mishaps  like  the  one  that  had  marked 
the  first  night.  They  were  both  good  shots 
with  ordinary  weapons  and  it  was  not  long  be- 
fore they  had  equaled  their  record  with  the  new 
instrument. 

It  was  one  warm  afternoon,  when  Tom  was 
out  in  the  meadow  at  one  side  of  his  house,  prac- 
ticing with  his  rifle  on  some  bix  boxes  he  had 
set  up  for  targets,  that  he  saw  an  elderly  man 
standing  close  to  the  fence  watching  him.  When 
Tom  blew  to  pieces  a  particularly  large  packing- 
case,  standing  a  long  distance  away  from  it,  the 
stranger  called  to  the  youth. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,"  he  said,  "but  is  that  a 
dynamite  gun  you  are  using?" 

"No,  it's  an  electric  rifle,"  was  the  answer. 

"Would  you  mind  telling  me  something 
about  it?"  went  on  the  elderly  man,  and  as 
Tom's  weapon  was  now  fully  protected  by 
patents,  the  young  inventor  cordially  invited 


BIG  TUSKS  WANTED 


37 


the  stranger  to  come  nearer  and  see  how  it 
worked. 

"That's  the  greatest  thing  I  ever  saw!"  ex- 
claimed the  man  enthusiastically  when  Tom  had 
blown  up  another  box,  and  had  told  of  the  il- 
lumination for  night  firing.  "The  most  wonder- 
ful weapon  I  ever  heard  of!  What  a  gun  it 
would  be  in  my  business." 

"What  is  your  trade?"  asked  Tom  curiously, 
for  he  had  noted  that  the  man,  while  aged,  was 
rugged  and  hearty,  and  his  skin  was  tanned  a 
leathery  brown,  showing  that  he  was  much  in 
the  open  air. 

"I'm  a  hunter,"  was  the  reply,  "a  hunter  of 
big  game,  principally  elephants,  hippos  and 
rhinoceroses.  I've  just  finished  a  season  in 
Africa,  and  I'm  going  back  there  again  soon.  I 
came  on  to  New  York  to  get  a  new  elephant 
gun.  I've  got  a  sister  living  over  in  Waterford, 
and  I've  been  visiting  her.  I  went  out  for  a 
stroll  to-day,  and  I  came  farther  than  I  intended. 
That's  how  I  happened  to  be  passing  here." 

"A  sister  in  Waterford;  eh?"  mused  Tom, 
wondering  whether  the  elephant  hunter  had  met 
Mr.  Damon.  "And  how  soon  are  you  going 
back  to  Africa,  Mr. — er — "  and  Tom  hesitated. 

"Durban  is  my  name,  Alexander  Durban,"  said 
the  old  man.  "Why,  I  am  to  start  back  in  a  few 


38       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

weeks.  I've  got  an  order  for  a  pair  of  big  ele- 
phant tusks — the  largest  I  can  get  for  a  wealthy 
New  York  man, — and  I'm  anxious  to  fulfil  the 
contract.  The  game  isn't  what  it  once  was. 
There's  more  competition,  and  the  elephants' 
are  scarcer.  So  I've  got  to  hustle. 

"I  got  me  a  new  gun,  but  my!  it's  nothing  to 
what  yours  is.  With  that  weapon  I  could  do 
about  as  I  pleased.  I  could  do  night  hunting, 
which  is  hard  in  the  African  jungle.  Then  I 
wouldn't  have  any  trouble  getting  the  big  tusks 
.I'm  after.  I  could  get  a  pair  of  them,  and  live 
easy  the  rest  of  my  life.  Yes,  I  wouldn't  ask 
anything  better  than  a  gun  like  yours.  But  I 
s'pose  they  cost  like  the  mischief?"  He  looked 
a  question  at  Tom. 

"This  is  the  only  one  there  is,"  was  the  lad's 
answer.  "But  I  am  very  glad  to  have  met  you, 
Mr.  Durban.  Won't  you  come  into  the  house? 
I'm  sure  my  father  will  be  glad  to  see  you,  and 
I  have  something  I'd  like  to  talk  to  you  about," 
and  Tom,  with  many  wild  ideas  in  his  head,  led 
the  old  elephant  hunter  toward  the  house. 

The  dream  of  the  young  inventor  might  come 
true  after  all. 


CHAPTER   V 

RUSH  WORK 

MR.  SWIFT  made  the  African  hunter  warmly 
welcome,  and  listened  with  pride  to  the  words 
of  praise  Mr.  Durban  bestowed  on  Tom  regard- 
ing the  rifle. 

"Yes,  my  boy  has  certainly  done  wonders 
along  the  inventive  line,"  said  Mr.  Swift. 

"Not  half  as  much  as  you  have,  dad,"  inter- 
rupted the  lad,  for  Tom  was  a  modest  youth. 

"You  should  see  his  sky  racer,"  went  on  the 
old  inventor. 

"Sky  racer?  What's  that?"  asked  Mr.  Dur- 
ban. "Is  it  another  kind  of  gun  or  cannon?" 

"It's  an  aeroplane — an  airship,"  explained 
Mr.  Swift. 

"An  airship!"  exclaimed  the  old  elephant 
hunter.  "Say,  you  don't  mean  that  you  make 
balloons;  do  you?" 

"Well,  they're  not  exactly  balloons,"  replied 
Tom,  as  he  briefly  explained  what  an  aeroplane 

39 


40       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

was,  for  Mr.  Durban,  having  been  in  the  wilds 
of  the  jungle  so  much,  had  had  very  little  chance 
to  see  the  wonders  and  progress  of  civilization. 
"They  are  better  than  balloons,"  went  on  Tom, 
"for  they  can  go  where  you  want  them  to." 

"Say!  That's  the  very  thing!"  cried  the  old 
hunter  enthusiastically.  "If  there's  one  thing 
more  than  another  that  is  needed  in  hunting  in 
Africa  it's  an  airship.  The  travel  through  the 
jungle  is  something  fierce,  and  that,  more  than 
anything  else,  interferes  with  my  work.  I  can't 
cover  ground  enough,  and  when  I  do  get  on  the 
track  of  a  herd  of  elephants,  and  they  get  away, 
it's  sometimes  a  week  before  I  can  catch  up  to 
them  again. 

"For,  in  spite  of  their  size,  elephants  can 
travel  very  fast,  and  once  they  get  on  the  go, 
nothing  can  stop  them.  An  airship  would  be 
the  very  thing  to  hunt  elephants  with  in  Africa 
— an  airship  and  this  electric  rifle.  I  wonder 
why  you  haven't  thought  of  going,  Tom  Swift." 

"I  have  thought  of  it,"  answered  the  young 
inventor,  "and  that's  why  I  asked  you  in.  I 
want  to  talk  about  it." 

"Do  you  mean  you  want  to  go?"  demanded 
the  old  man  eagerly. 

"I  certainly  do!" 

"Then  I'm  your  man !    Say,  Tom  Swift,  I'd  be 


RUSH  WORK  41 

proud  to  have  you  go  to  Africa  with  me.  I'd 
be  proud  to  have  you  a  member  of  my  hunting 
party,  and,  though  I  don't  like  to  boast,  still  if 
I  you'll  ask  any  of  the  big-game  people  they'll  tell 
you  that  not  every  one  can  accompany  Aleck 
Durban." 

Tom  realized  that  he  was  speaking  to  an  au- 
thority and  a  most  desirable  companion,  should 
he  go  to  Africa,  and  he  was  very  glad  of  the 
chance  that  had  made  him  acquainted  with  the 
veteran  hunter. 

"Will  you  go  with  me?"  asked  Mr.  Durban. 
"You  and  your  electric  gun  and  your  airship? 
Will  you  come  to  Africa  to  hunt  elephants,  and 
help  me  get  the  big  tusks  I'm  after?" 

"I  will!"  exclaimed  Tom. 

"Then  we'll  start  at  once.  There's  no  need 
of  delaying  here  any  longer." 

"Oh,  but  I  haven't  an  airship  ready,"  said  the 
young  inventor.  The  face  of  the  old  hunter  ex- 
pressed his  disappointment. 

"Then  we'll  have  to  give  up  the  scheme,"  he 
said  ruefully. 

'  "Not  at  all,"  Tom  told  him.  "I  have  all  the 
material  on  hand  for  building  a  new  airship.  I 
have  had  it  in  mind  for  some  time,  and  I  have 
done  some  work  on  it.  I  stopped  it  to  perfect 
my  electric  rifle,  but,  now  that  is  done,  I'll  tackle 


42       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

the  Black  Hawk  again,  and  rush  that  to  comple- 
tion." 

"The  Black  Haw£?"repeated  Mr.  Durban, 
wonderingly. 

"Yes,  that's  what  I  will  name  my  new  craft. 
The  Red  Cloud  was  destroyed,  and  so  I  thought 
I'd  change  the  color  this  time,  and  avoid  bad 
luck." 

"Good!"  exclaimed  the  hunter.  "When  do 
you  think  you  can  have  it  finished?" 

"Oh,  possibly  in  a  month — perhaps  sooner, 
and  then  we  will  go  to  Africa  and  hunt  ele- 
phants!" 

"Bless  my  ivory  paper  cutter!"  exclaimed  a 
voice  in  the  hall  just  outside  the  library.  "Bless 
my  fingernails!  But  who's  talking  about  going 
to  Africa?" 

The  old  hunter  looked  at  Tom  and  his  father 
in  surprise,  but  the  young  inventor  laughing  and 
going  to  the  door,  called  out: 

"Come  on  in,  Mr.  Damon,  I  didn't  hear  you 
ring.  There  is  some  one  here  from  your  town." 

"Is  it  my  wife?"  asked  the  odd  gentleman 
who  was  always  blessing  something.  "She  said 
she  was  going  to  her  mother's  to  spend  a  few 
weeks,  and  so  I  thought  I'd  come  over  here  and 
see  if  you  had  anything  new  on  the  program.  The 
first  thing  I  hear  is  that  you  are  going  to  Africa. 


RUSH  WORK  43 

And  so  there's  some  one  from  Waterford  in  there, 
€h?  Is  it  my  wife?" 

"No,"  answered  Tom  with  another  laugh. 
"Come  on  in,  Mr.  Damon." 

"Bless  my  toothpick!"  exclaimed  the  odd 
gentleman,  as  he  saw  the  grizzled  elephant 
hunter  sitting  between  Tom  and  Mr.  Swift.  "I 
have  seen  you  somewhere  before,  my  dear  sir." 

"Yes,"  admitted  Mr.  Durban,  "if  you're  from 
Waterford  you  have  probably  seen  me  traveling 
about  the  streets  there.  I'm  stopping  with  my 
sister,  Mrs.  Douglass,  but  I  can't  stand  it  to  be 
in  the  house  much,  so  I'm  out  of  doors,  wander- 
ing about  a  good  bit  of  the  time.  I  miss  my 
jungle.  But  we'll  soon  be  in  Africa,  Tom  Swift 
and  me." 

"Is  it  possible,  Tom?"  asked  Mr.  Damon. 
"Bless  my  diamond  mines!  but  what  are  you 
going  to  do  next?" 

"It's  hard  to  say,"  was  the  answer.  "But  you 
came  just  in  time,  Mr.  Damon.  I'm  going  to 
rush  work  on  the  Black  Hawk,  my  newest  air- 
ship, and  we'll  leave  for  elephant  land  inside  of 
a  month,  taking  my  new  electric  rifle  along. 
Will  you  come?" 

"Bless  my  penknife!  I  never  thought  of  such 
a  thing.  I — I — guess — no,  I  don't  know  about 
it— yes,  I'll  go!"  he  suddenly  exclaimed.  "I'll 


44       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

go!  Hurrah  for  the  elephants!"  and  he  jumped 
up  and  shook  hands  in  turn  with  Mr.  Durban, 
to  whom  he  had  been  formally  introduced,  and 
with  Tom  and  Mr.  Swift. 

"Then  it's  all  settled  but  the  details/'  declared 
the  youth,  "and  now  I'll  call  in  Mr.  Jackson,  and 
we'll  talk  about  how  soon  we  can  have  the  air- 
ship ready." 

"My,  but  you  folks  are  almost  as  speedy  as  a 
herd  of  the  big  elephants  themselves!"  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Durban,  and  with  the  advent  of  the 
engineer  the  talk  turned  to  things  mechanical 
among  Tom  and  Mr.  Jackson  and  Mr.  Damon, 
while  Mr.  Durban  told  Mr.  Swift  hunting 
stories  which  the  old  inventor  greatly  enjoyed. 

The  next  day  Tom  engaged  two  machinists 
who  had  worked  for  him  building  airships  be- 
fore, and  in  the  next  week  rush  work  began  on 
the  new  Black  Hawk.  Meanwhile  Mr.  Durban 
was  a  frequent  visitor  at  Tom's  home,  where  he 
learned  to  use  the  new  rifle,  declaring  it  was 
even  more  wonderful  than  he  had  at  first  sup- 
posed. 

"That  will  get  the  elephants!"  he  exclaimed. 
It  did,  as  you  shall  soon  learn,  and  it  also  was 
the  means  of  saving  several  lives  in  the  wilds  of 
the  African  jungle. 


CHAPTER  VI 

NEWS   FROM   ANDY 

TOM  SWIFT'S  former  airship,  the  Red  Cloud, 
had  been  such  a  fine  craft,  and  had  done  such 
good  service  that  he  thought,  in  building  a  suc- 
cessor, that  he  could  do  no  better  than  to  follow 
the  design  of  the  skyship  which  had  been  de- 
stroyed in  the  ice  caves.  But,  on  talking  with 
the  old  elephant  hunter,  and  learning  something 
of  the  peculiarities  of  the  African  jungle  the 
young  inventor  decided  on  certain  changes. 

In  general  the  Black  Hawk  would  be  on  the 
lines  of  the  Red  Cloud  but  it  would  be  smaller 
and  lighter  and  would  also  be  capable  of  swifter 
motion. 

"You  want  it  so  that  it  will  rise  and  descend 
quickly  and  at  sharp  angles,"  said  Mr.  Durban. 

"Why,"  inquired  Tom. 

"Because  in  Africa,  at  least  in  the  part  where 
we  will  go,  there  are  wide  patches  of  jungle  and 
forest,  with  here  and  there  big  open  places.  If 

45 


46       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

you  are  skimming  along1  close  to  the  ground,  in 
an  open  place,  in  pursuit  of  a  herd  of  elephants, 
and  they  should  suddenly  plunge  into  the  forest, 
you  would  want  to  be  able  to  rise  above  the 
trees  quickly." 

"That's  so,"  admitted  Tom.  "Then  1*11  have 
to  use  a  smaller  gas  bag  than  we  had  on  the 
other  ship,  for  the  air  resistance  to  that  big  one 
made  us  go  slowly  at  times." 

"Will  it  be  as  safe  with  a  small  bag?"  Mr. 
Damon  wanted  to  know. 

"Yes,  for  I  will  use  a  more  powerful  gas,  so 
that  we  will  be  more  quickly  lifted,"  said  the 
young  inventor.  "I  will  also  retain  the  aero- 
plane feature,  so  that  the  Black  Hawk  will  be  a 
combined  biplane  and  dirigible  balloon.  But  it 
will  have  many  new  features.  I  'have  the  plans 
all  drawn  for  a  new  style  of  gas  generating  ap- 
paratus, and  I  think  it  can  be  made  in  time." 

There  were  busy  days  about  the  Swift  home. 
Mrs.  Baggert,  the  housekeeper,  was  in  despair. 
She  said  the  good  meals  she  got  ready  were 
wasted,  because  no  one  would  come  to  table 
when  they  were  ready.  She  would  ring  the  bell, 
and  announce  that  dinner  would  be  served  in 
five  minutes. 

Then  Tom  would  shout  from  his  workshop 
that  he  could  not  leave  until  he  had  inserted 


NEWS  FROM  ANDY  47 

a  certain  lever  in  place.  Mr.  Jackson  would  posi- 
tively decline  to  sit  down  until  he  had  screwed  fast 
some  part  of  a  machine.  Even  Mr.  Swift,  who, 
because  of  his  recent  illness,  was  not  allowed  to 
do  much,  would  often  delay  his  meal  to  test 
some  new  style  of  gears. 

As  for  Mr.  Damon,  it  was  to  be  expected  that 
he  would  be  eccentric  as  he  always  was.  He  was 
not  an  expert  mechanic,  but  he  knew  something 
of  machinery  and  was  of  considerable  help  to 
Tom  in  the  rush  work  on  the  airship.  He  would 
hear  the  dinner  bell  ring,  and  would  exclaim: 

"Bless  my  napkin  ring!  1  can't  come  now.  I 
have  to  fix  up  this  electrical  register  first." 

And  so  it  would  go.  Eradicate  and  Boome- 
rang, his  mule,  were  the  only  ones  who  ate  regu- 
larly, and  they  always  insisted  on  stopping  at 
exactly  twelve  o'clock  to  partake  of  the  noon- 
day meal. 

"  'Cause  ef  I  didn't,"  explained  the  colored 
man,  "dat  contrary  mule  ob  mine  would  lay 
down  in  de  dust  ob  de  road  an'  not  move  a  step, 
lessen'  he  got  his  oats.  So  dat's  why  we  has  t' 
eat,  him  an'  me." 

"Well,  I'm  glad  there's  some  one  who's  got 
sense,"  murmured  Mrs.  Baggert.  Eradicate  and 
Boomerang  were  of  great  service  in  the  hurried 
work  that  followed,  for  the  colored  man  in  his 


48       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

cart  brought  from  town,  or  from  the  freight 
depot,  many  things  that  Tom  needed. 

The  young  inventor  was  very  enthusiastic 
about  his  proposed  trip,  and  at  night,  after  a 
hard  day's  work  in  the  shop,  he  would  read 
books  on  African  hunting,  or  he  would  sit  and 
listen  to  the  stories  told  by  Mr.  Durban.  And 
the  latter  knew  how  to  tell  hunting  tales,  for  he 
had  been  long  in  his  dangerous  calling,  and  had 
had  many  narrow  escapes. 

"And  there  are  other  dangers  than  from  ele- 
phants and  wild  beasts  in  Africa/'  he  said. 

"Bless  my  toothbrush!"  exclaimed  Mr. 
Damon.  "Do  you  mean  cannibals,  Mr.  Dur- 
ban?" 

"Some  cannibals,"  was  the  reply,  "but  they're 
not  the  worst.  I  mean  the  red  pygmies.  I  hope 
we  don't  get  into  their  clutches." 

"Red  pygmies!"  repeated  Tom,  wonderingly. 

"Yes,  they're  a  tribe  of  little  creatures,  about 
three  feet  high,  covered  with  thick  reddish  hair, 
who  live  in  the  central  part  of  Africa,  near  some 
of  the  best  elephant-hunting  ground.  They  are 
,  wild,  savage  and  ferocious,  and  what  they  lack 
individually  in  strength,  they  make  up  in  num- 
bers. They're  like  little  red  apes,  and  woe  betide 
the  unlucky  hunter  who  falls  into  their  merciless 


NEWS  FROM  ANDY  49 

hands.  They  treat  him  worse  than  the  canni- 
bals do." 

"Then  well  look  out  for  them,"  said  Tom. 
"But  I  fancy  my  electric  rifle  will  make  them 
give  us  a  wide  berth." 

"It's  a  great  gun,"  admitted  the  old  hunter 
with  a  shake  of  his  head,  "but  those  red  pygmies, 
are  terrible  creatures.  I  hope  we  don't  get  them 
on  our  trail.  But  tell  me,  Tom,  how  are  you 
coming  on  with  the  airship?  for  I  don't  know 
much  about  mechanics,  and  to  me  it  looks  as  if 
it  would  never  be  put  together.  It's  like  one  of 
those  queer  puzzles  I've  seen  'em  selling  in  the 
streets  of  London." 

"Oh,  it's  nearer  ready  than  it  looks  to  be," 
said  Tom.  "We'll  have  it  assembled,  and  ready 
for  a  trial  in  about  two  weeks  more." 

Work  on  the  Black  Hawk  was  rushed  more 
than  ever  in  the  next  few  days,  another  extra 
machinist  being  engaged.  Then  the  craft  began 
to  assume  shape  and  form,  and  with  the  gas  bag 
partly  inflated  and  the  big  planes  stretching  out 
from  either  side,  it  began  to  look  something 
like  the  ill-fated  Red  Cloud. 

"It's  going  to  be  a  fine  ship!"  cried  Tom  en- 
thusiastically, one  day,  as  he  went  to  the  far  side 
of  the  shop  to  get  a  perspective  view  of  it, 
"We'll  make  good  time  in  this." 


50       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

"Are  you  going  to  sail  all  the  way  to  Africa — 
across  the  ocean — in  her  ?"  asked  Mr.  Durban,  in 
somewhat  apprehensive  tones. 

"Oh,  no/'  replied  Tom.  "I  believe  she  would 
be  capable  of  taking  us  across  the  ocean,  but 
there  is  no  need  of  running  any  unnecessary 
risks.  I  want  to  get  her  safely  to  Africa,  and 
have  her  do  stunts  in  elephant  land." 

"Then  what  are  your  plans?"  asked  the 
hunter. 

"We'll  put  her  together  here,"  said  Tom, 
"give  her  a  good  try-out  to  see  that  she  works 
well,  and  then  pack  her  up  for  shipment  to  the 
African  coast  by  steamer.  We'll  go  on  the  same 
ship,  and  when  we  arrive  we'll  put  the  Black 
Hawk  together  again,  and  set  sail  for  the  in- 
terior." 

"Good  idea,"  commented  Mr.  Durban.  "Now, 
if  you've  no  objections,  I'm  going  to  do  a  little 
practice  with  the  electric  rifle." 

"Go  ahead,"  assented  Tom.  "There  comes 
Ned  Newton ;  he'll  be  glad  of  a  chance  for  a  few 
shots  while  I  work  on  this  new  propeller  motor. 
It  doesn't  just  suit  me." 

The  bank  clerk,  who  had  arranged  to  go  to 
Africa  with  Tom,  was  seen  advancing  toward 
the  aeroplane  shed.  In  his  hand  Ned  held  a 
paper,  and  as  he  saw  Tom  he  called  out : 


NEWS  FROM  ANDY  51 

"Have  you  heard  the  news?" 

"What  news?'7  inquired  the  young  inventor. 

"About  Andy  Foger.  He  and  his  aeroplane 
are  lost!" 

"Lost!"  cried  Tom,  for  in  spite  of  the  mean 
way  the  bully  had  treated  him  our  hero  did  not 
wish  him  any  harm. 

"Well,  not  exactly  lost,"  went  on  Ned,  as  he 
held  out  the  paper  to  Tom,  "but  he  and  his  sky- 
craft  have  disappeared." 

"Disappeared?" 

"Yes.  You  know  he  and  that  German,  Mr. 
Landbacher,  went  over  to  Europe  to  give  some 
aviation  exhibitions.  Well,  I  see  by  this  paper 
that  they  went  to  Egypt,  and  were  doing  a 
high-flying  stunt  there,  when  a  gale  sprang  up, 
they  lost  control  of  the  aeroplane  and  it  was 
swept  out  of  sight." 

"In  which  direction ;  out  to  sea  ?" 

"No,  toward  the  interior  of  Africa." 

"Toward  the  interior  of  Africa!"  cried  Tom. 
"And  that's  where  we're  going  in  a  couple  of 
weeks.  Andy  in  Africa!" 

"Maybe  we'll  see  him  there,"  suggested  Ned.  ' 

"Well,  I  certainly  hope  we  do  not !"  exclaimed 
Tom,  as  he  turned  back  to  his  work,  with  an  un- 
definable  sense  of  fear  in  his  heart. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE   BLACK    HAWK   FLIES 

IT  WAS  with  no  little  surprise  that  the  news 
of  the  plight  that  was  said  to  have  befallen  Andy 
Foger  was  received  by  Tom  and  his  associates. 
The  newspaper  had  quite  an  account  of  the  af- 
fair, and,  even  allowing  the  usual  discount  for 
the  press  dispatches,  it  looked  as  if  the  former 
bully  was  in  rather  distressing  circumstances. 

"He  won't  have  to  be  carried  very  far  into 
Africa  to  be  in  a  bad  country,"  said  the  old 
liunter.  "Of  course,  some  parts  of  the  continent 
are  all  right,  and  for  me,  I  like  it  all,  where 
there's  hunting  to  be  had.  But  I  guess  your 
young  friend  Foger  won't  care  for  it." 

"He's  no  friend  of  ours,"  declared  Ned,  as 
Tom  was  reading  the  newspaper  account. 
"Still,  I  don't  wish  him  any  bad  luck,  and  I  do 
hope  he  doesn't  become  the  captive  of  the  red 
pygmies." 

"So  do  I,"  echoed  the  old  hunter  fervently. 
52 


THE  BLACK  HAWK  FLIES  53 

There  was  no  news  of  Andy  in  the  papers  the 
next  day,  though  there  were  cable  dispatches 
speculating  on  what  might  have  happened  to 
him  and  the  airship.  In  Shopton  the  dispatches 
created  no  little  comment,  and  it  was  said  that 
Mr.  Foger  was  going  to  start  for  Africa  at  once 
to  rescue  his  son.  This,  however,  could  not  be 
confirmed. 

Meanwhile  Tom  and  his  friends  were  very 
busy  over  the  Black  Hawk.  Every  hour  saw  the 
craft  nearer  completion,  for  the  young  inventor 
had  had  much  experience  in  this  sort  of  work 
now,  and  knew  just  how  to  proceed. 

To  Mr.  Damon  were  intrusted  certain  things 
which  he  could  well  attend  to,  and  though  he 
frequently  stopped  to  bless  his  necktie  or  his 
shoelaces,  still  he  got  along  fairly  well. 

There  would  be  no  necessity  of  purchasing 
supplies  in  this  country,  for  they  could  get  all 
they  needed  in  the  African  city  of  Majumba,  on 
the  western  coast,  where  they  planned  to  land. 
There  the  airship  would  be  put  together, 
stocked  with  provisions  and  supplies,  and  they 
would  begin  their  journey  inland.  They  planned 
to  head  for  Buka  Meala,  crossing  the  Congo 
River,  and  then  go  into  the  very  interior  of  the 
heart  of  the  dark  continent. 

As  we  have  described  in  detail,  in  the  former 


54       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

books  of  this  series,  the  construction  of  Tom 
Swift's  airship,  the  Red  Cloud,  and  as  the  Black 
Hawk  was  made  in  a  similar  manner  to  that,  we 
will  devote  but  brief  space  to  it  now.  As  the 
story  proceeds,  and  the  need  arises  for  a  descrip- 
tion of  certain  features,  we  will  give  them  to  you, 
so  that  you  will  have  a  clear  idea  of  what  a  won- 
fderful  craft  it  was. 

Sufficient  to  say  that  there  was  a  gas  bag-, 
made  of  a  light  but  strong  material,  and  capable 
of  holding  enough  vapor,  of  a  new  and  secret 
composition,  to  lift  the  airship  with  its  load. 
This  was  the  dirigible-balloon  feature  of  the 
craft,  and  with  the  two  powerful  propellers,  fore- 
and  aft  (in  which  particular  the  Black  Hawk 
differed  from  the  Red  Cloud  which  had  two  for- 
ward propellers) ; — with  these  two  powerful 
wooden  screws,  as  we  have  said,  the  new  ship 
could  travel  swiftly  without  depending  on  the 
wing  planes. 

But  as  there  is  always  a  possibility  of  the  gas 
bag  being  punctured,  or  the  vapor  suddenly 
escaping  from  one  cause  or  another,  Tom  did 
not  depend  on  this  alone  to  keep  his  craft  afloat. 
It  was  a  perfect  aeroplane,  and  with  the  gas  bag 
entirely  empty  could  be  sent  scudding  along  at 
any  height  desired.  To  enable  it  to  rise  by 
means  of  the  wings,  however,  it  was  necessary 


THE  BLACK  HAWK  FLIES  55 

to  start  it  in  motion  along  the  ground,  and  for 
this  purpose  wheels  were  provided. 

There  was  a  large  body  or  car  to  the  craft, 
suspended  from  beneath  the  gas  bag,  and  in  this 
car  were  the  cabins,  tfae  living,  sleeping  and 
eating  apartments,  the  storerooms  and  the  en- 
gine compartment. 

This  last  was  a  marvel  of  skill,  for  it  contained 
besides  the  gas  machine,  and  the  motor  for 
working  the  propellers,  dynamos,  gages,  and 
instruments  for  telling  the  speed  and  height, 
motors  for  doing  various  pieces  of  work,  levers, 
wheels,  cogs,  gears,  tanks  for  storing  the  lifting 
gas,  and  other  features  of  interest. 

There  were  several  staterooms  for  the  use  of 
the  young  captain  and  the  passengers,  an  ob- 
servation and  steering  tower,  a  living-room, 
where  they  could  all  assemble  as  the  ship  was 
sailing  through  the  air,  and  a  completely  equipped 
kitchen. 

This  last  was  Mr.  Damon's  special  pride,  as 
lie  was  a  sort  of  cook,  and  he  liked  nothing 
better  than  to  get  up  a  meal  when  the  craft  was 
two  or  three  miles  high,  and  scudding  along  at 
seventy-five  miles  an  hour. 

In  addition  there  were  to  be  taken  along 
many  scientific  instruments,  weapons  of  defense 
and  offense,  in  addition  to  the  electric  rifle,  and 


^6       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

various  other  objects  which  will  be  spoken  of  in 
due  time. 

"Well,"  remarked  Tom  Swift  one  afternoon, 
following  a  hard  day's  work  in  the  shop,  "I 
think,  if  all  goes  well,  and  we  have  good 
weather,  I'll  give  the  Black  Hazvk  a  trial  to- 


morrow." 


"Do  you  think  it  will  fly?"  asked  Ned. 

"There  is  no  telling,"  was  the  answer  of  the 
young  inventor.  "These  things  are  more  or  less 
guesswork,  even  when  you  make  two  exactly 
alike.  As  far  as  I  can  tell,  we  have  now  a  better 
craft  than  the  Red  Cloud  was,  but  it  remains  to 
be  seen  how  she  will  behave." 

They  worked  late  that  nigfat,  putting  the 
finishing  touches  on  the  Black  Hawk,  and  in  the 
morning  the  new  airship  was  wheeled  out  of  the 
shed,  and  placed  on  the  level  starting  ground, 
ready  for  the  trial  flight. 

Only  the  bare  machinery  was  in  her,  as  yet, 
and  the  gas  bag  had  not  been  inflated,  as  Tom 
wanted  to  try  the  plane  feature  first.  But  the 
vapor  machine  was  all  ready  to  start  generating 
the  gas  whenever  it  was  needed.  Nor  was  the 
Black  Hawk  painted  and  decorated  as  she  would 
be  when  ready  to  be  sent  to  Africa.  On  the 
whole,  she  looked  rather  crude  as  she  rested 
there  on  the  bicycle  wheels,  awaiting  the  start- 


THE  BLACK  HAWK  FLIES  57 

ing  of  the  big  propellers.  As  the  stores  and 
supplies  were  not  yet  in,  Tom  took  aboard,  in 
addition  to  Mr.  Damon,  Ned,  his  father,  Mr. 
Jackson  and  Mr.  Durban,  some  bags  of  sand  to 
represent  the  extra  weight  that  would  have  to 
be  carried. 

"If  she'll  rise  with  this  load  she'll  do,"  an- 
nounced the  young  inventor,  as  he  went  care- 
fully over  the  craft,  looking  to  see  that  every- 
thing was  in  shape. 

"If  she  does  rise  it  will  be  a  new  experience 
for  me,"  spoke  the  old  elephant  hunter.  "I've 
never  been  in  an  airship  before.  It  doesn't  seem 
possible  that  we  can  get  up  in  the  air  with  this 
machine." 

"Maybe  we  won't,"  spoke  Tom,  who  was  al- 
ways a  little  diffident  about  a  new  piece  of 
machinery. 

"Well,  if  it  doesn't  do  it  the  first  time,  it  will 
the  second,  or  the  fifty-second,"  declared  Ned 
Newton.  "Tom  Swift  doesn't  give  up  until  he 
succeeds." 

"Stop  it!    You'll  make  me  blush!"  cried  the 

I  Black  Hawk's  owner  as  he  tried  the  different 

gages  and  levers  to  see  that  they  were  all  right. 

After  what  seemed  a  long  time  he  gave  the 
word  for  those  who  were  to  make  the  trial  trip 
to  take  their  places.  They  did  so,  and  then,  with 


58       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

Mr.  Jackson,  Tom  went  to  the  engine  room. 
There  was  a  little  delay,  due  to  the  fact  that 
some  adjustment  was  necessary  on  the  main 
motor.  But  at  last  it  was  fixed. 

"Are  you  all  ready?"  called  Tom. 

"All  ready,"  answered  Mr.  Damon.  The  old 
elephant  hunter  sat  in  a  chair,  nervously  grip- 
ping the  arms,  and  with  a  grim  look  on  his 
tanned  face.  Mr.  Swift  was  cool,  as  was  Ned, 
for  they  had  made  many  trips  in  the  air.  Out- 
side were  Eradicate  Sampson  and  Mrs.  Baggert. 

"Here  we  go!"  suddenly  cried  Tom,  and  he 
yanked  over  the  lever  that  started  the  main 
motor  and  propellers.  The  Black  Hawk  trembled 
throughout  her  entire  length.  She  shivered  and 
shook.  Faster  and  faster  whirled  the  great  wood- 
en screws.  The  motor  hummed  and  throbbed. 

Slowly  the  Black  Hawk  moved  across  the 
ground.  Then  she  gathered  speed.  Now  she 
was  fairly  rushing  over  the  level  space.  Tom 
Swift  tilted  the  elevation  rudder,  and  with  a 
suddenness  that  was  startling,  at  least  to  the 
old  elephant  hunter,  the  new  airship  shot  up- 
ward on  a  steep  slant. 

"The  Black  Hawk  flies!"  yelled  Ned  Newton. 
"Now  for  elephant  land  and  the  big  tusks!" 

"Yes,  and  perhaps  for  the  red  pygmies,  too," 
added  Tom  in  a  low  voice.  Then  he  gave  his 


THE  BLACK  HAWK  FLIES  59 

whole  attention  to  the  management  of  his  new 
machine,  which  was  rapidly  mounting  upward, 
with  a  speed  rivalling  that  of  his  former  big 
craft. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

OFF  FOR  AFRICA 

HIGHER  and  higher  went  the  Black  Hawk,  far 
above  the  earth,  until  the  old  elephant  hunter, 
looking  down,  said  in  a  voice  which  he  tried  to 
make  calm  and  collected,  but  which  trembled  in 
spite  of  himself: 

"Of  course  I'm  not  an  expert  at  this  game, 
Tom  Swift,  but  it  looks  to  me  as  if  we'd  never 
get  down.  Don't  you  think  we're  high 
enough?" 

"For  the  time  being,  yes,"  answered  the 
young  inventor.  "I  didn't  think  she'd  climb  so 
far  without  the  use  of  the  gas.  She's  doing 
well." 

"Bless  my  topknot,  yes!"  exclaimed  Mr. 
Damon.  "She  beats  the  Red  Cloud,  Tom.  Try 
her  on  a  straight-away  course." 

Which  the  youth  did,  pointing  the  nose  of 
the  craft  along  parallel  to  the  surface  of  the 
earth,  and  nearly  a  mile  above  it.  Then,  in- 
fo 


OFF  FOR  AFRICA  6l 

creasing-  the  speed  of  the  motor,  and  with  the 
big  propellers  humming,  they  made  fast  time. 

The  old  elephant  hunter  grew  more  calm  as 
he  saw  that  the  airship  did  not  show  any  in- 
clination to  fall,  and  he  noted  that  Tom  and  the 
others  not  only  knew  how  to  manage  it,  but 
took  their  flight  as  much  a  matter  of  course 
as  if  they  were  in  an  automobile  skimming  along 
on  the  surface  of  the  ground. 

^Tom  put  his  craft  through  a  number  of  evolu- 
tions, and  when  he  found  that  she  was  in  perfect 
control  as  an  aeroplane,  he  started  the  gas 
machine,  filled  the  big  black  bag  overhead,  and, 
when  it  was  sufficiently  buoyant,  he  shut  off  the 
motor,  and  the  Black  Hawk  floated  along  like  a 
balloon. 

"That's  what  we'll  do  if  our  power  happens 
to  give  out  when  we  get  over  an  African  jungle, 
with  a  whole  lot  of  wild  elephants  down  below, 
and  a  forest  full  of  the  red  pygmies  waiting  for 
us,"  explained  Tom  to  Mr.  Durban. 

"And  I  guess  you'll  need  to  do  it,  too,"  an- 
swered the  hunter.  "I  don't  know  which  I  fear 
worse,  the  bad  elephants  wild  with  rage,  as  they 
get  some  times,  or  the  little  red  men  who  are 
as  strong  as  gorillas,  and  as  savage  as  wolves. 
It  would  be  all  up  with  us  if  we  got  into  their 
hands.  But  I  think  this  airship  will  be  just  what 


62      TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

we  need  in  Africa.  I'd  have  been  able  to  get  out 
of  many  a  tight  place  if  I  had  had  one  on  my 
last  trip." 

While  the  Black  Hawk  hung  thus,  up  the  air, 
not  moving,  save  as  the  wind  blew  her,  Tom 
with  his  father  and  Mr.  Jackson  made  an  in- 
spection of  the  machinery  to  find  out  whether  it 
iiad  been  strained  any.  They  found  that  it  had 
worked  perfectly,  and  soon  the  craft  was  in  mo- 
tion again,  her  nose  this  time  being  pointed 
toward  the  earth.  Tom  let  out  some  of  the  gas, 
and  soon  the  airship  was  on  the  ground  in  front 
of  the  shed  she  had  so  recently  left. 

"She's  all  right,"  decided  the  young  inventor 
after  a  careful  inspection.  "I'll  give  her  a  couple 
more  trials,  put  on  the  finishing  touches  and 
then  we'll  be  ready  for  our  trip  to  Africa.  Have 
you  got  everything  arranged  to  go,  Ned?" 

"Sure.  I  have  a  leave  of  absence  from  the 
bank,  thanks  to  your  father  and  Mr.  Damon, 
most  of  my  clothes  are  packed,  I've  bought  a 
gun  and  I've  got  a  lot  of  quinine  in  case  I  get 
a  fever." 

"Good!"  cried  the  elephant  hunter.  "You'll 
do  all  right,  I  reckon.  I'm  glad  I  met  you  young 
fellows.  Well,  I've  lived  through  my  first  trip 
in  the  air,  which  is  more  than  I  expected  when 
I  started." 


OFF  FOR  AFRICA  63 

They  discussed  their  plans  at  some  length, 
for,  now  that  the  airship  had  proved  all  that 
they  had  hoped  for,  it  would  not  be  long  ere 
they  were  under  way.  In  the  days  that  followed 
Tom  put  the  finishing  touches  on  the  craft,  ar- 
ranged to  have  it  packed  up  for  shipment,  and 
spent  some  time  practicing  with  his  electric 
rifle.  He  got  to  be  an  expert  shot,  and  Mr. 
Durban,  who  was  a  wonder  with  the  ordinary 
rifle,  praised  the  young  inventor  highly. 

'There  won't  many  of  the  big  tuskers  get 
away  from  you,  Tom  Swift,"  he  said.  "And  that 
reminds  me,  I  got  a  letter  the  other  day,  from 
the  firm  I  collect  ivory  for,  stating  that  the 
price  had  risen  because  of  a  scarcity,  and  urging 
me  to  hurry  back  to  Africa  and  get  all  I  could. 
It  seems  that  war  has  broken  out  among  some 
of  the  central  African  tribes,  and  they  are 
journeying  about  in  the  jungle,  on  the  war  path 
here  and  there,  and  have  driven  the  elephants 
into  the  very  deepest  wilds,  where  the  ordinary 
hunters  can't  get  at  them." 

"Maybe  we  won't  have  any  luck,  either,"  sug- 
gested Ned. 

"Oh,  yes,  we  will,"  declared  the  hunter.  "With 
our  airship,  the  worst  forest  of  the  dark  con- 
tinent won't  have  any  terrors  for  us,  for  we  can 
float  above  it.  And  the  fights  of  the  natives 


64      TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

won't  have  any  effect.  In  a  way,  this  will  be  a 
good  thing,  for  with  the  price  of  ivory  soaring 
we  can  make  more  money  than  otherwise. 
There's  a  .chance  for  us  all  to  get  a  lot  of 
money." 

"Bless  my  piano  keys!"  exclaimed  Mr. 
Damon,  "if  I  can  get  just  one  elephant,  and  pull 
out  his  big  ivory  teeth,  I'll  be  satisfied.  I  want 
a  nice  pair  of  tusks  to  set  up  on  either  side  of 
my  fireplace  for  ornaments." 

"A  mighty  queer  place  for  such-like  orna- 
ments," said  Mr.  Durban  in  a  low  voice.  Then 
he  added:  "Well,  the  sooner  we  get  started  the 
better  I'll  like  it,  for  I  want  to  get  that  pair  of 
big  tusks  for  a  special  customer  of  mine." 

"I'll  give  the  Black  Hawk  one  more  trial 
flight,  and  then  take  her  apart  and  ship  her," 
decided  Tom,  and  the  final  flight,  a  most  suc- 
cessful one,  took  place  the  following  day. 

Then  came  another  busy  season  when  the  air- 
ship was  taken  apart  for  shipment  to  the  coast 
of  Africa  by  steamer.  It  was  put  into  big  boxes 
and  crates,  and  Eradicate  and  his  mule  took 
them  to  the  station  in  Shopton. 

"Don't  you  want  to  come  to  Africa  with 
us,  Rad?"  asked  Tom,  when  the  last  of  the  cases 
had  been  sent  off.  "You'll  find  a  lot  of  your 
friends  there." 


'OFF  FOR  AFRICA  65 

"No,  indeedy,  I  doan't  want  t'  go,"  answered 
the  colored  man,  "though  I  would  like  to  see 
dat  country." 

"Then  why  don't  you  come?" 

"Hu!  Yo'  think,  Massa  Tom,  dat  I  go  any- 
where dat  I  might  meet  dem  little  red  men  what 
Massa  Durban  talk  about?  No,  sah,  dey  might 
hurt  mah  mule  Boomerang." 

*Oh,  I  wasn't  going  to  take  the  mule  along," 
said  Tom,  wondering  'how  the  creature  might 
behave  in  the  airship. 

"Not  take  Boomerang?  Dei*  I  suttinly  ain't 
goin',"  and  Eradicate  walked  off,  highly  of- 
fended, to  give  some  oats  to  his  faithful  if  some- 
what eccentric  steed. 

After  the  airship  had  been  sent  off  there  yet 
remained  much  for  Tom  Swift  to  do.  He  had 
to  send  along  a  number  of  special  tools  and  ap- 
pliances with  which  to  put  the  ship  together 
again,  and  also  some  with  which  to  repair  the 
craft  in  case  of  accident.  So  that  this  time  was 
pretty  well  occupied.  But  at  length  everything 
was  in  readiness,  and  with  his  electrH  rifle  ( 
knocked  down  for  transportation,  and  with  his  '• 
baggage,  and  that  of  the  others,  all  packed,  they 
set  off  one  morning  to  take  the  train  for  New 
York,  where  they  would  get  a  steamer  for 
Africa, 


66      TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

Numerous  good-bys  had  been  said,  and  Tom 
had  made  a  farewell  call  on  Mary  Nestor,  promis- 
ing to  bring  her  some  trophy  from  elephant 
land,  though  he  did  not  quite  know  what  it 
would  be. 

Mr.  Damon,  as  the  train  started,  blessed 
everything  he  could  think  of.  Mr.  Swift  waved 
his  hand  and  wished  his  son  and  the  others  good 
luck,  feeling  a  little  lonesome  that  he  could  not 
make  one  of  the  party.  Ned  wa.s  eager  with 
excitement,  and  anticipation  of  what  lay  before 
him.  Tom  Swift  was  thinking  of  what  he  could 
accomplish  with  his  electric  rifle,  and  of  the 
wonderful  sights  he  would  see,  and,  as  for  the 
old  elephant  hunter,  he  was  very  glad  to  be  on 
the  move  again,  after  so  many  weeks  of  idleness, 
for  he  was  a  very  active  man. 

Their  journey  to  New  York  was  uneventful, 
and  they  found  that  the  parts  of  the  airship  had 
safely  arrived,  and  had  been  taken  aboard  the 
steamer.  The  little  party  went  aboard  them- 
selves, after  a  day  spent  in  sight-seeing,  and  that 
afternoon  the  Soudalar,  which  was  the  vessel's 
name,  steamed  away  from  the  dock  at  high  tide. 

"Off  for  Africa  I"  exclaimed  Tom  to  Ned,  as 
they  stood  at  the  rail,  watching  the  usual  crowd 
wave  farewells.  "Off  for  Africa,  Ned." 

As  Tom  spoke,  a  gentleman  who  had  been 


OFF  FOR  AFRICA  67 

standing  near  him  and  his  chum,  vigorously 
waving  his  hand  to  some  one  on  the  pier, 
turned  quickly.  He  looked  sharply  at  the  young 
inventor  for  a  moment,  and  then  exclaimed: 

"Well,  if  it  isn't  Tom  Swift!  Did  I  hear  you 
say  you  were  going  to  Africa?" 

Tom  looked  at  the  gentleman  with  rather  a 
puzzled  air  for  a  moment.  The  face  was  vaguely 
familiar,  but  Tom  could  not  recall  where  he  had 
seen  it.  Then  it  came  to  him  in  a  flash. 

"Mr.  Floyd  Anderson!"  exclaimed  our  hero. 
"Mr.  Anderson  of " 

"Earthquake  Island!"  exclaimed  the  gentle- 
man quickly,  as  he  extended  his  hand.  "I  guess 
you  remember  that  place,  Tom  Swift." 

"Indeed  I  do.  And  to  think  of  meeting  you 
again,  and  on  this  African  steamer,"  and  Tom's 
mind  went  back  to  the  perilous  days  when  his 
wireless  message  had  saved  the  castaways  of 
Earthquake  Island,  among  whom  were  Mr.  An- 
derson and  his  wife. 

"Did  I  hear  you  say  you  were  going  to 
Africa?"  asked  Mr.  Anderson,  when  he  had  been 
introduced  to  Ned,  and  the  others  in  Tom's 
party. 

"That's  where  we're  bound  for,"  answered  the 
lad.  "We  are  going  to  elephant  land.  But 
where  are  you  'going,  Mr.  Anderson?" 


68      TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

"Also  to  Africa,  but  not  on  a  trip  for  pleasure 
or  profit  like  yourselves.  I  have  been  commis- 
sioned by  a  missionary  society  to  rescue  two  of 
its  workers  from  the  heart  of  the  dark  continent." 

"Rescue  two  missionaries?"  exclaimed  Tom, 
wonderingly. 

"Yes,  a  gentleman  and  his  wife,  who,  it  is  re- 
ported, have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  a  race 
known  as  the  red  pygmies,  who  hold  them  cap- 
tives!" 


CHAPTER  IX 

ATTACKED  BY  A  WHALE 

SURPRISE  at  Mr.  Anderson's  announcement 
held  Tom  silent  for  a  moment.  That  the  gentle- 
man whom  he  had  been  the  means  of  rescuing, 
among  others,  from  Earthquake  Island,  should 
be  met  with  so  unexpectedly,  was  quite  a  coin- 
cidence, but  when  it  developed  that  he  was 
bound  to  the  same  part  of  the  African  continent 
as  were  Tom  and  his  friends,  and  when  he  said 
lie  hoped  to  rescue  some  missionaries  from  the 
very  red  pygmies  so  feared  by  the  old  elephant 
hunter — this  was  enough  to  startle  any  one. 

"I  see  that  my  announcement  has  astonished 
you,"  said  Mr.  Anderson,  as  he  noted  the  look 
of  surprise  on  the  face  of  the  young  inventor. 

"It  certainly  has!  Why,  that's  where  we  are 
bound  for,  in  my  new  airship.  Come  down  into 
our  cabin,  Mr.  Anderson,  and  tell  us  all  about  it. 
Is  your  wife  with  you?" 

"No,  it  is  too  dangerous  a  journey  on  which 
69 


70       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

to  take  her.  I  have  little  hope  of  succeeding, 
for  it  Is  now  some  time  since  the  unfortunate 
missionaries  were  captured,  but  I  am  going  to 
do  my  best,  and  organize  a  relief  expedition 
when  I  get  to  Africa." 

Tom  said  nothing  at  that  moment,  but  he 
made  up  his  mind  that  if  it  was  at  all  possible 
he  would  lend  his  aid,  that  of  his  airship,  and 
also  get  his  friends  to  assist  Mr.  Anderson. 
They  went  below  to  a  special  cabin  that  had 
been  reserved  for  Tom's  party,  and  there,  as  the 
ship  slowly  passed  down  New  York  Bay,  Mr. 
Anderson  told  his  'Story. 

"I  mentioned  to  you,  when  we  were  on  Earth- 
quake Island,"  he  said  to  Tom,  "that  I  had  been 
in  Africa,  and  had  done  some  hunting.  That  is 
not  my  calling,  as  it  is  that  of  your  friend,  Mr. 
Durban,  but  I  know  the  country  pretty  well. 
However,  I  have  not  been  there  in  some  time. 

"My  wife  and  I  are  connected  with  a  church 
in  New  York  that,  several  years  ago,  raised  a 
fund  and  sent  two  missionaries,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Jacob  Illingway,  to  the  heart  of  Africa.  They 
built  up  a  little  mission  there,  and  for  a  time  all 
went  well,  and  they  did  good  work  among  the 
natives. 

"They  are  established  in  a  tribe  of  friendly 
black  men,  of  simple  nature,  and,  while  the 


'ATTACKED  BY  A   WHALE  71 

natives  did  not  become  Christianized  to  any  re- 
markable extent,  yet  they  were  kind  to  the  mis- 
sionaries. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Illingway  used  fre- 
quently to  write  to  members  of  our  church, 
telling  of  their  work.  They  also  mentioned  the 
fact  that  adjoining  the  country  of  the  friendly 
blacks  there  was  a  tribe  of  fierce  little  red  men, 
— red  because  of  hair  of  that  color  all  over'their 
bodies." 

"That's  right,"  agreed  Mr.  Durban,  shaking 
his  head  solemnly.  "They're  red  imps,  too!" 

"Mr.  Illingway  often  mentioned  in  his  let- 
ters/' went  on  Mr.  Anderson,  "that  there  were 
frequent  fights  between  the  pygmies  and  the 
race  of  blacks,  but  the  latter  had  no  great  fear 
of  their  small  enemies.  However,  it  seems  that 
they  did  not  take  proper  precautions,  for  not 
long  ago  there  was  a  great  battle,  the  blacks 
were  attacked  by  a  large  force  of  the  red  pyg- 
mies, who  overhelmed  them  by  numbers,  and 
finally  routed  them,  taking  possession  of  their 
country." 

"What  became  of  the  missionaries?"  asked 
Ned  Newton. 

"I'M  tell  you,"  said  Mr.  Anderson.  "For  a 
long  time  we  heard  nothing,  beyond  the  mere 
news  of  the  fight,  whidh  we  read  of  in  the  pa- 
pers. The  church  people  were  very  anxious 


72       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

about  the  fate  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Illingway,  and 
were  talking  of  sending  a  special  messenger  to 
inquire  about  them,  when  a  cablegram  came 
from  the  headquarters  of  the  society  in  London. 

"It  seems  that  one  of  the  black  natives, 
named  Tomba,  who  was  a  sort  of  house  servant 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Illingway,  escaped  the  general 
massacre,  in  which  all  his  friends  were  killed.  He 
made  his  way  through  the  jungle  to  a  white  set- 
tlement, and  told  his  story,  relating  how  the 
two  missionaries  had  been  carried  away  captive 
by  the  pygmies." 

"A  terrible  fate,"  commented  Mr.  Durban. 

"Yes,  they  might  better  be  dead,  from  all  the 
accounts  we  can  hear,"  went  on  Mr.  Anderson. 

"Bless  my  Sunday  hat!  Don't  say  that!"  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Damon.  "Maybe  we  can  save  them, 
Mr.  Anderson." 

"That  is  what  I  am  going  to  try  to  do, 
though  it  may  be  too  late.  As  soon  as  definite 
news  was  received,  our  church  held  a  meeting, 
raised  a  fund,  and  decided  to  send  me  off  to  find 
'Mr.  and  Mrs.  Illingway,  if  alive,  or  give  them 
decent  burial,  if  I  could  locate  their  bodies.  The 
reason  they  selected  me  was  because  I  had  been 
in  Africa,  and  knew  the  country. 

"I  made  hurried  arrangements,  packed  up,  said 
good-by  to  my  wife,  and  here  I  am.  But 


ATTACKED  BY  A    WHALE 


73 


to  think  of  meeting  you,  Tom  Swift!  And  to 
hear  that  you  are  also  going  to  Africa.  I  wish 
I  could  command  an  airship  for  the  rescue.  It 
might  then  be  more  easily  accomplished !" 

"That's  just  what  I  was  going  to  propose!" 
exclaimed  Tom.  "We  are  going  to  the  land  of 
the  red  pygmies,  and  while  I  have  promised  to 
help  Mr.  Durban  in  getting  ivory,  and  while  I 
want  to  try  my  electric  rifle  on  big  game,  still 
we  can  do  both,  I  think.  You  can  depend  on 
us,  Mr.  Anderson,  and  if  the  Black  Hawk  can  be 
of  any  service  to  you  in  the  rescue,  count  us  in!" 

"Good!"  cried  the  former  castaway  of  Earth- 
quake Island.  "This  is  the  best  piece  of  luck  I 
could  have!  Now  tell  me  all  about  your  plans," 
which  Tom  and  the  others  did,  listening  in  turn, 
to  further  details  about  the  missionaries. 

Just  how  they  would  go  to  work  to  effect  the 
rescue,  or  how  they  could  locate  the  particular 
tribe  of  little  red  men  who  had  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Illingway  they  did  not  know. 

"We  may  be  able  to  get  hold  of  this  Tomba," 
said  Mr.  Durban.  'If  not  I  guess  between  Mr. 
Anderson  and  myself  we  can  get  on  the  trail, 
somehow.  I'm  anxious  to  get  to  the  coast,  see 
the  airship  put  together  again,  and  start  for  the 
interior." 

"So  am  I,"  declared  Tom,  as  he  got  out  his 


74       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

electric  rifle,  and  began  to  put  it  together,  for 
(he  wanted  to  show  Mr.  Anderson  how  it 
worked. 

They  had  a  pleasant  and  uneventful  voyage 
for  two  weeks.  The  weather  was  good,  and,  to 
tell  the  truth,  it  was  rather  monotonous  for 
Tom  and  the  others,  who  were  eager  to  get  into 
activity  again.  Then  came  a  storm,  which, 
while  it  was  not  dangerous,  yet  gave  them 
plenty  to  think  and  talk  about  for  three  days. 
Then  came  more  calm  weather,  when  the 
Soudalar  plowed  along  over  gently  heaving 
billows. 

They  were  about  a  week  from  their  port  of 
destination,  which  was  Majumba,  on  the  African 
coast,  when,  one  afternoon,  as  Tom  and  the 
others  were  in  their  cabin,  they  heard  a  series  of 
shouts  on  deck,  and  the  sound  of  many  feet 
running  to  and  fro. 

' 'Something  has  happened!"  exclaimed  the. 
young  inventor. 

Tom  raced  for  the  companionway,  and  was 
soon  on  deck,  followed  by  Mr.  Durban  and  the  j 
others.    They  saw  a  crowd  of  sailors  and  pas- ' 
sengers  leaning  over  the  port  rail. 

"What's  the  matter?"  asked  Tom,  of  the 
second  mate,  who  was  just  passing. 

"Fight  between  a  killer  and  a  whale,"  was  the 


ATTACKED  BY  A   WHALE  75 

reply,     "The  captain  has  ordered  the  ship  to 
lay-to  so  it  can  be  watched/' 

Tom  made  his  way  to  the  rail.  About  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  away  there  could  be  observed 
a  great  commotion  in  the  ocean.  Great  bodies 
seemed  to  be  threshing  about,  beating  the  water 
to  foam,  and,  with  the  foam  could  be  seen  bright 
blood  mingled.  Occasionally  two  jets  of  water, 
as  from  some  small  fountain,  would  shoot  up- 
ward. 

"He's  blowing  hard!"  exclaimed  one  of  the 
sailors.  "I  guess  he's  about  done  for!" 

"Which  one?"  asked  Tom. 

"The  whale,"  was  the  reply.  "The  killer  has 
the  best  of  the  big  fellow,"  and  the  sailor 
quickly  explained  how  the  smaller  killer  fish,  by 
the  peculiarity  of  its  attack,  and  its  great 
ferocity,  often  bested  its  larger  antagonist. 

The  battle  was  now  at  its  height,  and  Tom 
and  the  others  were  interested  spectators.  At 
times  neither  of  the  big  creatures  could  be  seen, 
because  of  the  smother  of  foam  in  which  they 
lolled  and  -threshed  about.  The  whale  en- 
deavored to  sound,  or  go  to  the  bottom,  but  the 
killer  stuck  to  him  relentlessly. 

Suddenly,  however,  as  Tom  looked,  the  whale, 
by  a  stroke  of  his  broad  tail,  momentarily 
stunned  his  antagonist.  Instantly  realizing 


76       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

that  he  was  free  the  great  creature,  which  was 
about  ninety  feet  long,  darted  away,  swimming 
on  the  surface  of  the  water,  for  he  needed  to  get 
all  the  air  possible. 

Quickly  acquiring  momentum,  the  whale 
came  on  like  a  locomotive,  spouting  at  inter- 
vals, the  vapor  from  the  blowholes  looking  not 
unlike  steam  from  some  submarine  boat. 

"He  looks  to  be  heading  this  way,"  remarked 
Mr.  Durban  to  Tom. 

"He  is,"  agreed  the  young  inventor,  "but  I 
guess  he'll  dive  before  he  gets  here.  He  only 
wants  to  get  away  from  the  killer.  Look,  the 
other  one  is  swimming  this  way,  too!" 

"Bless  my  harpoon,  but  he  sure  is!"  called 
Mr.  Damon.  "They'll  renew  the  fight  near 
here." 

But  he  was  mistaken,  for  the  killer,  after 
coming  a  little  distance  after  the  whale,  sud- 
denly turned,  hesitated  for  a  moment,  and  then 
disappeared  in  the  depths  of  the  ocean. 

The  whale,  however,  continued  to  come  on, 
speeding  through  the  water  with  powerful 
strokes.  There  was  an  uneasy  movement 
among  some  of  the  passengers. 

"Suppose  he  strikes  the  ship,"  suggested  one 
woman. 

"Nonsense!    He  couldn't,"  said  her  husband. 


ATTACKED  BY  A    WHALE  77- 

"The  old  man  had  better  get  under  way,  just 
the  same,"  remarked  a  sailor  near  Tom,  as  he 
looked  up  at  the  bridge  where  the  captain  was 
standing. 

The  "old  man,"  or  commander,  evidently 
thought  the  same  thing,  for,  after  a  glance  at 
the  oncoming  leviathan,  which  was  still  headed 
directly  for  the  vessel,  he  shoved  the  lever  of 
the  telegraph  signal  over  to  "full  speed  ahead." 

Hardly  had  he  done  so  than  the  whale  sank 
from  the  sight. 

"Oh,  I'm  so  glad!"  exclaimed  the  woman 
who  had  first  spoken  of  the  possibility  of  the 
whale  hitting  the  ship,  "I  am  afraid  of  those  ter- 
rible creatures." 

"They're  as  harmless  as  a  cow,  unless  they 
get  angry,"  said  her  husband. 

Slowly  the  great  ship  began  to  move  through 
the  water.  Tom  and  his  friends  were  about  to  go 
back  to  their  cabin,  for  they  thought  the  excite- 
ment over,  when,  as  the  young  inventor  turned 
from  the  rail,  he  felt  a  vibration  throughout  the 
whole  length  of  the  steamer,  as  if  it  had  hit  on 
a  sand-bar. 

Instantly  there  was  a  jangling  of  bells  in  the 
engine  room,  and  the  Soudalar  lost  headway. 

"What's  the  matter?"  asked  several  persons. 

They  were  answered  a  moment  later,  for  the 


78       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

big  whale,  even  though  grievously  wounded  m 
his  fight  with  the  killer,  had  risen  not  a  hundred 
feet  away  from  the  ship,  and  was  coming  toward 
tt  with  the  speed  of  an  express  train. 

"Bless  my  blubber!"  cried  Mr.  Damon.  "We 
must  have  hit  the  whale,  or  it  hit  us  under  the 
water  and  now  it's  going  to  attack  us!" 

He  had  no  more  than  gotten  the  words  out 
of  his  mouth  ere  the  great  creature  of  the  deep 
came  on  full  tilt  at  the  vessel,  struck  it  a  terrific 
blow  which  made  it  tremble  from  stem  to  stern, 
and  careen  violently. 

There  was  a  chorus  of  frightened  cries,  sailors 
rushed  to  and  fro,  the  engine-room  bells  rang 
violently  and  the  captain  and  mates  shouted 
hoarse  orders. 

"Here  'he  comes  again!"  yelled  Mr.  Durban, 
as  he  hurried  to  the  side  of  the  ship.  "The 
whale  takes  us  for  an  enemy,  I  guess,  and  Ire's 
going  to  ram  us  again!" 

"And  if  he  does  it  many  times,  he'll  start  the 
plates  and  cause  a  leak  that  won't  be  stopped 
in  a  hurry!"  cried  a  sailor  as  he  rushed  past  Tom. 

The  young  inventor  looked  at  the  oncoming 
monster  for  a  moment,  and  then  started  on  the 
run  for  his  cabin. 

"Here!  Where  are  you  going?"  cried  Mr. 
Damon,  but  Tom  did  not  answer. 


CHAPTER   X 

OFF  IN  THE  AIRSHIP 

As  TOM  SWIFT  hurried  down  the  companion- 
way  he  again  felt  the  ship  careen  as  the  whale 
struck  it  a  powerful  blow,  and  he  was  almost 
knocked  off  his  feet.  But  he  kept  on. 

Below  he  found  some  frightened  men  and 
women,  a  number  of  whom  were  adjusting  life 
preservers  about  them,  under  the  impression  that 
the  ship  had  struck  a  rock  and  was  going  down. 
They  had  not  been  up  on  deck,  and  did  not  know 
of  the  battle  between  the  killer  and  the  whale, 
nor  what  followed. 

"Oh,  I  know  we're  sinking!"  cried  one  timid 
woman.  "What  has  happened?"  she  appealed 
to  Tom. 

"It  will  be  all  right  in  a  little  while,"  he  as- 
sured her. 

"But  what  is  it?  I  want  to  know.  Have  we 
had  a  collision." 

"Yes,  with  a  whale,"  replied  Tom,  as  he 
79 


8o       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

grabbed  up  something  from  his  stateroom,  and 
again  rushed  up  on  deck.  As  he  reached  it  the 
whale  came  on  once  more,  and  struck  the  ship 
another  terrific  blow.  Then  the  monster  sank 
and  could  be  seen  swimming  back,  just  under 
the  surface  of  the  water,  getting  ready  to  renew 
the  attack. 

"He's  going  to  ram  us  again!"  cried  Mr. 
Damon.  "Bless  my  machine  oil!  Why  doesn't 
the  captain  do  something?" 

At  that  moment  the  commander  cried  from 
the  bridge: 

"Send  a  man  below,  Mr.  Laster,  to  see  if  we 
are  making  any  water.  Then  tell  half  a  dozen 
of  the  sailors  to  get  out  the  rifles,  and  see  if  they 
can't  kill  the  beast.  He'll  put  us  in  Davy  Jones's 
locker  if  he  keeps  this  up!  Lively  now,  men!" 

The  first  mate,  Mr.  Laster,  called  out  the 
order.  A  sailor  went  below  to  see  if  the  ship 
was  leaking  much,  and  the  captain  rang  for  full 
speed  ahead.  But  the  Soudalar  was  slow  in  get- 
ting under  way  again,  and,  even  at  top  speed 
she  was  no  match  for  the  whale,  which  was 
again  rushing  toward  the  vessel. 

"Quick  with  those  rifles!"  cried  the  captain. 
'Tire  a  volley  into  the  beast!" 

"There's    no    need!"    suddenly    called    Mr. 


OFF  IN  THE  AIRSHIP  8l 

Damon,  who  had  caught  sight  of  Tom  Swift, 
and  the  object  which  the  lad  carried. 

"No  need?"  demanded  the  commander. 
"Why,  has  the  whale  sunk,  or  made  off?" 

"No,"  answered  the  eccentric  man,  "the  whale  t 
is  still  coming  on,  but  Tom  Swift  will  fix  him. 
Get  there,  Tom,  and  let  him  have  a  good  one!" 

"What  sort  of  a  gun  is  that?"  demanded  the 
commander  as  the  young  inventor  took  his 
place  at  the  rail,  which  was  now  almost  deserted. 

Tom  did  not  answer.  Bracing  himself  against 
the  rolling  and  heaving  of  the  vessel,  which  was 
now  under  about  half  speed,  Tom  aimed  his  elec- 
tric rifle  at  the  oncoming  leviathan.  He  looked 
at  the  automatic  gage,  noted  the  distance  and 
waiting  a  moment  until  the  crest  of  a  wave  in 
front  of  the  whale  had  subsided,  he  pressed  the 
button. 

If  those  watching  him  expected  to  hear  a  loud 
report,  and  see  a  flash  of  flame,  they  were  dis- 
appointed. There  was  absolutely  no  sound,  but 
what  happened  to  the  whale  was  most  sur- 
prising. 

The  great  animal  stopped  short  amid  a  swirl 
of  foam,  and  the  next  instant  it  seemed  to  dis- 
integrate. It  went  all  to  pieces,  just  as  had  the 
dummy  figure  which  Tom  on  one  occasion  fired 
at  with  his  rifle,  and  as  had  the  big  packing- 


82       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

cases.  The  whale  appeared  to  dissolve,  as  does 
a  lump  of  sugar  in  a  cup  of  hot  tea,  and,  five 
seconds  after  Tom  Swift  had  fired  his  electric 
gun,  there  was  not  a  sign  of  the  monster  save 
a  little  blood  on  the  calm  sea. 

"What — what  happened?"  asked  the  captain 
in  bewilderment.  "Is — is  that  monster  gone?" 

"Completely  gone!"  cried  Mr.  Damon.  "Bless 
my  powder  horn,  Tom,  but  I  knew  you  could 
doit!" 

"Is  that  a  new  kind  of  whale  gun,  firing  an 
explosive  bullet?"  inquired  the  commander,  as 
he  came  down  off  the  bridge  and  shook  hands 
with  Tom.  "If  it  is,  I'd  like  to  buy  one.  We 
may  be  rammed  again  by  another  whale." 

"This  is  my  new  electric  rifle,"  explained  the 
young  inventor  modestly,  "and  it  fires  wireless 
charges  of  electricity  instead  of  bullets.  I'm 
sorry  I  can't  let  you  have  it,  as  it's  the  only  one 
I  have.  But  I  guess  no  more  whales  will  ram 
us.  That  one  was  evidently  crazed  by  the  attack 
of  the  killer,  and  doubtless  took  us  for  another 
of  its  enemies." 

Sailors  and  passengers  crowded  around  Tom, 
eager  to  shake  his  hand,  and  to  hear  about  the 
gun.  Many  declared  that  he  had  saved  the  ship. 

This  was  hardly  true,  for  the  whale  could  not 
have  kept  up  its  attacks  much  longer.  Still  he 


OFF  IN  THE  AIRSHIP  83 

might  have  done  serious  damage,  by  causing  a 
leak,  and,  while  the  Soudalar  was  a  stanch 
craft,  with  many  water-tight  compartments, 
still  no  captain  likes  to  be  a  week  from  land 
with  a  bad  leak,  especially  if  a  storm  comes  up. 
Then,  too,  there  was  the  danger  of  a  panic 
among  the  passengers,  had  the  attacks  been 
kept  up,  so,  though  Tom  wanted  to  make  light 
of  his  feat,  the  others  would  not  let  him. 

"You're  entitled  to  the  thanks  of  all  on 
board,"  declared  Captain  Wendon,  "and  I'll  see 
that  the  owners  hear  of  what  you  did.  Well,  I 
guess  we  can  go  on,  now.  I'll  not  stop  again 
to  see  a  fight  between  a  killer  and  a  whale." 

The  steamer  resumed  her  way  at  full  speed, 
and  the  sailor,  who  had  gone  below,  came  up  to 
report  that  there  was  only  a  slight  leak,  which 
need  not  cause  any  uneasiness. 

Little  was  talked  of  for  the  next  few  days  but 
the  killing  of  the  whale,  and  Tom  had  to  give 
several  exhibitions  of  his  electric  rifle,  and  ex- 
plain its  workings.  Then,  too,  the  story  of  his 
expedition  became  known,  and  also  the  object 
of  Mr.  Anderson's  quest,  and  Tom's  offer  of  aid 
to  help  rescue  the  missionaries,  so  that,  alto- 
gether, our  hero  was  made  much  of  during  the 
remainder  of  the  voyage. 

"Well,  if  your  gun  will  do  that  to  a  whale, 


-'84       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

what  will  it  do  to  an  elephant?"  asked  Mr.  Dur- 
ban one  morning,  when  they  were  within  a  day's 
steaming  of  tkeir  port.  "I'm  afraid  it's  almost 
too  strong,  Tom.  It  will  leave  nothing — not 
even  the  tusks  to  pick  up." 

"Oh,  I  can  regulate  the  power,"  declared  the 
lad.  "I  used  full  force  on  the  whale,  just  to  see 
what  it  would  do.  It  was  the  first  time  I'd  tried 
it  on  anything  alive.  I  can  so  regulate  the 
charge  that  it  will  kill  even  an  elephant,  and 
leave  scarcely  a  mark  on  the  beast." 

"I'd  like  to  see  it  done,"  remarked  the  old 
hunter. 

"I'll  show  you,  if  we  sight  any  sharks,"  prom- 
ised Tom.  He  was  able  to  keep  his  word  for 
that  afternoon  a  school  of  the  ugly  fish  followed 
the  steamer  for  the  sake  of  the  food  scraps 
thrown  overboard.  Tom  took  his  position  in 
the  stern,  and  gave  an  exhibition  of  shooting 
with  his  electric  gun  that  satisfied  even  Mr. 
Durban,  exacting  as  he  was. 

For  the  lad,  by  using  his  heaviest  charges, 
destroyed  the  largest  .  sharks  so  that  they 
seemed  to  instantly  disappear  in  the  water,  and 
from  that  he  toned  down  the  current  until  he 
could  kill  some  of  the  monsters  so  easily  and 
quickly  that  they  seemed  to  float  motionless  on 


OFF  IN  THE  AIRSHIP  85 

the  surface,  yet  there  was  no  life  left  in  them 
once  the  electric  charge  touched  them. 

"We'll  use  the  light  charges  when  we're  kill- 
ing elephants  for  their  tusks,"  said  Tom,  "and 
the  heavy  ones  when  we're  in  danger  from  a 
rush  of  the  beasts." 

He  little  knew  how  soon  he  would  have  to 
put  his  plan  into  effect. 

They  arrived  safely  at  Majumba,  the  African 
coast  city,  and  for  two  days  Tom  was  kept  busy 
superintending  the  unloading  of  the  parts  of  his 
airship.  But  it  was  safely  taken  ashore,  and  he 
and  his  friends  hired  a  disused  warehouse  in 
which  to  work  at  reassembling  the  Black  Hawk. 

Tom  had  everything  down  to  a  system,  and, 
in  less  than  a  week  the  aircraft  was  once  more 
ready  to  be  sent  aloft.  It  was  given  a  try-out, 
much  to  the  astonishment  of  the  natives,  and 
worked  perfectly.  Then  Tom  and  his  friends 
busied  themselves  laying  in  a  stock  of  provisions 
and  stores  for  the  trip  into  the  interior. 

They  made  inquiries  about   the   chances  of 

^getting  ivory  and  were   told  that  they  were 

good,  if  they  went  far  enough  into  the  jungle 

and  forests,  for  the  big  beasts  had  penetrated 

farther  and  farther  inland. 

They  also  tried  to  get  some  news  regarding 
the  captive  missionaries,  but  were  unsuccessful, 


86      TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

nor  could  they  learn  what  had  become  of 
Tomba,  who  had  brought  the  dire  news  to 
civilization. 

"It's  too  soon  to  hope  for  anything  yet," 
said  Mr.  Anderson.  "Wait  until  we  get  near 
the  country  of  the  red  pygmies." 

"And  then  it  may  be  too  late,"  said  Tom  in  a 
low  voice. 

It  was  two  weeks  after  their  arrival  in  Ma- 
jumba  that  Tom  announced  that  all  was  in 
readiness.  The  airship  was  in  perfect  working 
order,  it  was  well  stocked  with  food,  arms,  ar- 
ticles and  trinkets  with  which  to  trade  among 
the  natives,  spare  parts  for  the  machinery,  spe- 
cial tools  and  a  good  supply  of  the  chemicals 
needed  to  manufacture  the  lifting  gas. 

Of  course  Tom  did  not  leave  behind  his  elec- 
tric weapon  and  Mr.  Durban  and  the  others 
took  plenty  of  ammunition  for  the  ordinary  rifles 
which  they  carried. 

One  morning,  after  cabling  to  his  father  that 
they  were  about  to  start,  Tom  gave  a  last  care- 
ful look  to  his  airship,  tested  the  motor  and 
dynamos,  took  a  hasty  survey  of  the  storeroom, 
to  see  that  nothing  had  been  forgotten,  and 
gaye  the  word  to  get  aboard. 

They  took  their  places  in  the  cabin.  Outside 
a  crowd  of  natives,  and  white  traders  of  many 


OFF  IN  THE  AIRSHIP  87 

nationalities  had  gathered.  Tom  pulled  the 
starting  lever.  The  Black  Hawk  shot  across  a 
specially  prepared  starting  ground,  and,  attain- 
ing sufficient  momentum,  suddenly  arose  into 
the  air. 

There  was  a  cheer  from  the  watching  crowd, 
and  several  superstitious  blacks,  who  saw  the  air- 
ship for  the  first  time,  ran  away  in  terror. 

Up  into  the  blue  atmosphere  Tom  took  his 
craft.  He  looked  down  on  the  city  over  which 
he  was  flying.  Then  he  pointed  the  prow  of  the 
Black  Hawk  toward  the  heart  of  the  dark  con- 
tinent. 

"Off  for  the  interior!"  he  murmured.  "I 
wonder  if  we'll  ever  get  out  again?" 

No  one  could  answer.  They  had  to  take  their 
chances  with  the  dangers  and  terrors  of  ele- 
phant land,  and  with  the  red  pygmies.  Yet 
Tom  Swift  was  not  afraid. 


CHAPTER  XI 

ANCHORED  TO  EARTH 

WITH  the  voyage  on  the  steamer,  their  arrival 
in  Africa,  the  many  strange  sights  of  the  city 
of  Majumba,  and  the  refitting  of  the  airship,  our 
friends  had  hardly  had  time  to  catch  their 
breath  since  Tom  Swift's  determination  to  go 
elephant  hunting.  Now,  as  the  Black  Hawk  was 
speeding  into  the  interior,  they  felt,  for  the  first 
time  in  many  weeks,  that  they  "could  take  it 
easy,"  as  Ned  Newton  expressed  it. 

"Thank  goodness,"  said  the  bank  clerk,  "I 
can  sit  down  and  look  at  something  for  a  while," 
and  he  gazed  out  of  the  main  cabin  windows 
down  at  the  wild  country  over  which  they  were 
then  flying. 

For,  so  swiftly  had  the  airship  moved  that  it 
was  hardly  any  time  at  all  before  it  had  left  Ma- 
jumba far  behind,  and  was  scudding  over  the 
wilderness. 

"Bless  my  camera!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Damon, 


ANCHORED  TO  EARTH  89 

who  had  brought  along  one  of  the  picture 
machines,  "bless  my  camera!  but  I  don't  call 
that  much  to  look  at,"  and  he  pointed  to  the 
almost  impenetrable  forest  over  which  they  then 
were. 

"No,  it  isn't  much  of  a  view,"  said  the  old  ele- 
phant hunter,  "but  wait.  You'll  soon  see  all 
you  want  to.  Africa  isn't  all  like  this.  There 
are  many  strange  sights  before  us  yet.  But, 
Tom  Swift,  tell  us  how  the  airship  is  working 
in  this  climate.  Do  you  find  any  difficulty 
managing  it?" 

"Not  at  all,"  answered  Tom,  who  was  in  the 
cabin  then,  having  set  the  automatic  steering 
apparatus  in  the  pilot  house,  and  come  back  to 
join  the  others.  "It  works  as  well  as  it  did  in 
good  old  York  State.  Of  course  I  can't  tell 
what  effect  the  continual  hot  and  moist  air  will 
have  on  the  gas  bag,  but  I  guess  we'll  make  out 
all  right." 

"I  certainly  hope  so,"  put  in  Mr.  Anderson. 
"It  would  be  too  bad  to  be  wrecked  in  the 
middle  of  Africa,  with  no  way  to  get  out." 

"Oh,  you  needn't  worry  about  that,"  said  Ned 
with  a  laugh.  "If  the  airship  should  smash,  Tom 
would  build  another  out  of  what  was  left,  and 
we'd  sail  away  as  good  as  before." 

"Hardly  that,"  answered  the  young  inventor. 


90       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

"But  we  won't  cross  a  bridge  until  we  hear  it 
coming,  as  Eradicate  would  say.  Hello,  that 
looks  like  some  sort  of  native  village/' 

He  pointed  ahead  to  a  little  clearing  in  the 
forest,  where  a  number  of  mud  and  grass  huts 
were  scattered  about.  As  they  came  nearer  they 
could  see  the  black  savages,  naked  save  for  a 
loin  cloth,  running  about  in  great  excitement, 
and  pointing  upward. 

"Yes,  that's  one  of  the  numerous  smell  native 
villages  we'll  see  from  now  on,"  said  Mr.  Dur- 
ban. "Many  a  night  have  I  spent  in  those  same 
grass  huts  after  a  day's  'hunting.  Sometimes 
I've  been  comfortable,  and  again  not  I  guess 
we've  given  those  fellows  a  scare." 

It  did  seem  so,  for  by  this  time  the  whole 
population,  including  women  and  children,  were 
running  about  like  mad.  Suddenly,  from  below, 
there  sounded  a  deep  booming  noise,  which  came 
plainly  to  the  ears  of  the  elephant  hunters  through 
the  opened  windows  of  the  airship  cabin. 

"Hark!  What's  that?"  cried  Tom,  raising  his 
hand  for  silence. 

"Bless  my  umbrella!  it  sounds  like  thunder," 
said  Mr.  Damon. 

"No,  it's  one  of  their  war  drums,"  explained 
Mr.  Durban.  "The  natives  make  large  ones  out 
of  hollow  trees,  with  animal  skins  stretched  over 


ANCHORED  TO  EARTH  91 

the  ends,  and  they  beat  them  to  sound  a  warn- 
ing, or  before  going  into  battle.  It  makes  a 
great  noise/' 

"Do  you  think  they  want  to  fight  us?"  asked 
Ned,  looking  anxiously  at  Tom,  and  then 
toward  where  his  rifle  stood  in  a  corner  of  the 
cabin. 

"No,  probably  that  drum  was  beaten  by  some 
of  the  native  priests,"  explained  the  hunter. 
"The  natives  are  very  superstitious,  and  likely 
they  took  us  for  an  evil  spirit,  and  wanted  to 
drive  us  away." 

"Then  we'll  hustle  along  out  of  their  sight," 
said  Tom,  as  he  went  to  the  pilot  house  to  in- 
crease the  speed  of  the  airship,  for  he  had  been 
letting  it  drift  along  -slowly  to  enable  the  ad- 
venturers to  view  the  country  over  which  they 
were  passing.  A  few  minutes  later,  under  the 
increased  force  of  the  machinery,  the  Black 
Hawk  left  the  native  village,  and  the  crowd  of 
frightened  blacks,  far  behind. 

The  travelers  passed  over  a  succession  of  wild 
^stretches  of  forest  or  jungle,  high  above  big 
/grassy  plains,  over  low  but  rugged  mountain 
ranges,  and  big  rivers.  Now  and  then  they 
would  cross  some  lake,  on  the  calm  surface  of 
which  could  be  made  out  natives,  in  big  canoes, 
hollowed  out  from  trees.  In  each  case  the  blacks 


92       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

showed  every  appearance  of  fright  at  the  sight  of 
the  airship  throbbing  along  over  their  heads. 

On  passing  over  the  lake,  Ned  Newton  looked 
down  and  cried  out  excitedly : 

"Look!  Elephants!  They're  in  swimming, 
and  the  natives  are  shooting  them!  Now's  our 
chance,  Tom!" 

Mr.  Anderson  and  Mr.  Durban,  after  a  quick 
glance,  drew  back  laughing. 

"Those  are  hippopotami!"  exclaimed  the  old 
elephant  man.  "Good  hunting,  if  you  don't 
care  what  you  shoot,  but  not  much  sport  in  it. 
It  will  be  some  time  yet  before  we  see  any  ele- 
phants, boys." 

Ned  was  rather  chagrined  at  his  mistake, 
but  the  African  travelers  told  him  that  any  one, 
not  familiar  with  the  country,  would  have  made 
it,  especially  in  looking  down  from  a  great 
height. 

They  sailed  along  about  half  a  mile  above  the 
earth,  Tom  gradually  increasing  the  speed  of 
the  ship,  as  he  found  the  machinery  to  be  work- 
ing well.  Dinner  was  served  as  they  were  cross- 
ing a  high  grassy  plateau,  over  which  could  be 
seen  bounding  a  number  of  antelopes. 

"Some  of  those  would  go  good  for  a  meal," 
said  Mr.  Durban,  after  a  pause,  during  which 
he  watched  the  graceful  creatures. 


ANCHORED  TO  EARTH  93 

"Then  we'll  go  down  and  get  some  for  sup- 
per," decided  Tom,  for  in  that  hot  climate  it  was 
impossible  to  carry  fresh  meat  on  the  airship. 

Accordingly,  the  Black  Hawk  was  sent  down, 
and  came  to  rest  in  a  natural  clearing  on  the 
edge  of  the  jungle.  After  waiting  until  the 
fierce  heat  of  noonday  was  over,  the  travelers 
'got  out  their  rifles  and,  under  the  leadership  of 
Mr.  Durban  and  Mr.  Anderson,  who  was  also 
an  experienced  hunter,  they  set  off. 

Game  was  plentiful,  but  as  they  could  only 
eat  a  comparatively  small  quantity,  and  as  it 
would  not  keep,  they  only  shot  what  they 
needed.  Tom  had  his  electric  rifle,  but  hesi- 
tated to  use  it,  as  Mr.  Durban  and  Mr.  Ander- 
son had  each  already  bowled  over  a  fine  buck. 

However,  a  chance  came  most  unexpectedly, 
for,  as  they  were  passing  along  the  banks  of  a 
little  stream,  which  was  almost  hidden  from 
view  by  thick  weeds  and  rank  grass,  there  was 
a  sudden  commotion  in  the  bushes,  and  a  fierce 
wild  buffalo  sprang  out  at  the  party. 

There  are  few  animals  in  Africa  more  dreaded 
by  hunters  than  the  wild  buffalo,  for  the  beast, 
with  its  spreading  sharp  horns  is  a  formidable 
foe,  and  will  seldom  give  up  the  attack  until 
utterly  unable  to  move.  They  are  fierce  and 
relentless. 


94       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

"Look  out!"  yelled  Mr.  Durban.  "To  cover, 
everybody!  If  that  beast  get  after  you  it's  no 
fun!  You  and  I  will  fire  at  him,  Mr.  Anderson!" 

Mr.  Durban  raised  his  rifle,  and  pulled  the 
trigger,  but,  for  some  reason,  the  weapon  failed 
to  go  off.  Mr.  Anderson  quickly  raised  his,  but 
his  foot  slipped  in  a  wet  place  and  he  fell.  At 
that  moment  the  buffalo,  with  a  snort  of  rage, 
charged  straight  for  the  fallen  man. 

"Tom!  your  electric  rifle!"  yelled  Ned  New- 
ton, but  he  need  not  have  done  so,  for  the  young 
inventor  was  on  the  alert. 

Taking  instant  aim,  and  adjusting  his  weapon 
for  the  'heaviest  charge,  Tom  fired  at  the  ad- 
vancing beast.  The  result  was  the  same  as  in  the 
case  of  the  whale,  the  buffalo  seemed  to  melt 
away.  And  it  was  stopped  only  just  in  time, 
too,  for  it  was  close  to  the  prostrate  Mr.  Ander- 
son, who  had  sprained  his  ankle  slightly,  and 
could  not  readily  rise. 

It  was  all  over  in  a  few  seconds,  but  it  was  a 
tense  time  while  it  lasted. 

"You  saved  my  life  again,  Tom  Swift,"  said 
Mr.  Anderson,  as  he  limped  toward  our  hero. 
"Once  on  Earthquake  Island,  and  again  now. 
I  shan't  forget  it,"  and  he  shook  hands  with  the 
young  inventor. 

The  others  congratulated  Tom  on  his  quick 


'ANCHORED  TO  EARTH  95 

shot,  and  Mr.  Damon,  as  usual  blessed  every- 
thing in  sight,  and  the  electric  rifle  especially. 

They  went  back  to  the  airship,  taking  the 
fresh  meat  with  them,  but  on  account  of  the 
injury  to  Mr.  Anderson's  ankle  could  not  make 
quick  progress,  so  that  it  was  almost  dusk  when 
they  reached  the  craft. 

"Well,  we'll  have  supper,  and  then  start  off," 
proposed  Tom,  "I  don't  think  it  would  be  wise 
to  remain  on  the  ground  so  near  the  jungle." 

"No,  it's  safer  in  the  air,"  agreed  Mr.  Durban. 
The  meal  was  much  enjoyed,  especially  the 
fresh  meat,  and,  after  it  was  over,  Tom  took  his 
place  in  the  pilot  house  to  start  the  machinery, 
and  send  the  airship  aloft. 

The  motor  hummed  and  throbbed,  and  the 
gas  hissed  into  the  bag,  for  the  ground  was  not 
level  enough  to  permit  of  a  running  start  by 
means  of  the  planes.  Lights  gleamed  from  the 
Black  Hawk  and  the  big  search-lantern  in  front 
cast  a  dazzling  finger  of  light  into  the  black 
forest. 

"Well,  what  are  you  waiting  for?"  called  Ned, 
who  heard  the  machinery  in  motion,  but  who 
could  not  feel  the  craft  rising.  "Why  don't  you 
go  up,  Tom?" 

"I'm  trying  to,"  answered  the  young  inventor. 
"Something  seems  to  be  the  matter."  He  pulled 


96       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

the  speed  lever  over  a  few  more  notches,  and 
increased  the  power  of  the  gas  machine.  Still 
the  Black  Hawk  did  not  rise. 

"Bless  my  handkerchief  box!"  cried  Mr. 
Damon,  "what's  the  matter?" 

"I  don't  know,"  answered  Tom.  "We  seem 
to  be  held  fast." 

He  further  increased  the  speed  of  the  propel- 
lers, and  the  gas  machine  was  set  to  make  vapof 
at  its  fullest  capacity,  and  force  it  into  the  bag. 
Still  the  craft  was  held  to  the  earth. 

"Maybe  the  gas  has  no  effect  in  this  climate," 
called  Ned. 

"It  can't  be  that,"  replied  Tom.  "The  gas 
will  operate  anywhere.  It  worked  all  right  to- 
day." 

Suddenly  the  airship  moved  up  a  little  way, 
and  then  seemed  to  be  pulled  down  again,  hit- 
ting the  ground  with  a  bump. 

"Something  is  holding  us!"  cried  Tom. 
"We're  anchored  to  earth!  I  must  see  what  it 
is  I"  and,  catching  up  his  electric  rifle,  he  dashed 
out  of  the  cabin. 


CHAPTER  XII 

AMONG  THE  NATIVES 

FOR  a  moment  after  Tom's  departure  the  others 
stared  blankly  at  one  another.  They  could  hear 
the  throbbing  and  hum  of  the  machinery,  and 
feel  the  thrill  of  the  anchored  airship.  But  they 
could  not  understand  what  the  trouble  was. 

"We  must  help  Tom!"  cried  Ned  Newton  at 
length  as  he  caught  up  his  rifle.  "Maybe  we  are 
in  the  midst  of  a  herd  of  elephants,  and  they 
have  hold  of  the  ship  in  their  trunks." 

"It  couldn't  be!"  declared  Mr.  Durban,  yet 
they  soon  discovered  that  Ned's  guess  was 
nearer  the  truth  then  any  of  them  had  suspected 
at  the  time. 

"We  must  help  him,  true  enough!"  declared 
Mr.  Anderson,  and  he  and  the  others  followed 
Ned  out  on  deck. 

"Where  are  you,  Tom?"  called  his  chum. 

"Here."  was  the  answer.  "I'm  on  the  forward 
deck." 

97 


98       TOM  SWIFT  AXD  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

"Do  you  see  anything?" 

"No,  it's  too  dark.  Turn  the  search-tight 
this  way." 

"I  wifl,"  shouted  Mr.  Damon,  and  a  moment 
later  the  gleam  of  the  powerful  lantern  brought 
Tom  clearly  into  view,  as  he  stood  on  the  small, 
forward  observation  platform  in  the  bow  of  the 
Black  Hcxvk. 

An  instant  later  the  young  inventor  let  out 
a  startled  cry. 

"What  is  it?"  demanded  Mr.  Durban. 

"An  immense  snake!"  shouted  Tom.  "It's 
wound  around  a  tree,  and  partly  twined  around 
the  ship!  That's  why  we  couldn't  go  up!  I'm 
going  to  shoot  it." 

They  looked  to  where  he  pointed  and  there, 
in  the  glare  of  the  light,  could  be  seen  an  im- 
mense python,  fully  twenty-five  feet  long,  the 
forward  part  of  its  fat  ugly  body  circled  around 
the  slender  prow  of  the  airship,  while  the  folds 
of  the  tail  were  about  a  big  tree. 

Tom  Swift  raised  his  electric  rifle,  took  quick 
'aim,  and,  having  set  it  to  deliver  a  moderate 
charge,  pressed  the  button.  The  result  was  sur- 
prising, for  the  snake  being  instantly  killed  the 
folds  uncoiled  and  the  ship  shot  upward,  only, 
instead  of  rising  on  an  even  keel,  the  bow 
pointed  toward  the  sky,  while  the  stern  was  still 


AMONG  THE  NATIVES  99 

fast  to  the  earth.  Tilted  at  an  angle  of  forty- 
five  degrees  the  Black  Hawk  was  in  a  most 
peculiar  position,  and  those  standing  on  the 
deck  began  to  slide  along  it. 

"There's  another  snake  at  the  stern!"  cried 
Mr.  Damon  as  he  grasped  a  brace  to  prevent 
falling  off.  "Bless  my  slippers!  it's  the  mate  of 
the  one  you  killed!  Shoot  the  other  one,  Tom!" 

The  young  inventor  needed  no  urging. 
Making  his  way  as  best  he  could  to  the  stern  of 
the  airship,  he  killed  the  second  python,  which 
was  even  larger  than  the  first,  and  in  an  instant 
the  Black  Hawk  shot  upward,  this  time  level, 
and  as  it  should  be.  Things  on  board  were 
soon  righted,  and  the  travelers  could  stand  up- 
right. High  above  the  black  jungle  rose  the 
craft,  moving  forward  under  the  full  power  of 
the  propellers,  until  Tom  rushed  into  the  engine 
room,  and  reduced  speed. 

"Well,  talk  about  things  happening!"  ex- 
claimed Ned,  when  they  had  somewhat  re- 
covered from  the  excitement,  "I  should  say  they 
were  beginning  with  a  vengeance!" 

"That's  the  way  in  Africa,"  declared  Mr.  Dur-  • 
ban.     "It's  a  curious  country.     Those  pythons 
generally  go  in  pairs,  but  it's  the  first  time  I 
ever   knew   them   to   tackle   an   airship.      They 
probably  stay  around  here  where  there  is  plenty 


100    TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

of  small  game  for  them,  and  very  likely  they 
merely  anchored  to  our  craft  while  waiting  for  a 
supper  to  come  along." 

"It  was  a  very  odd  thing,"  said  Tom.  "I 
couldn't  imagine  what  held  us.  After  this  I'll 
see  that  all  is  clear  before  I  try  to  go  up.  Next 
time  we  may  be  held  by  a  troop  of  baboons  and 
it  strains  the  machinery  to  have  it  pull  against 
dead  weight  in  that  way." 

However,  it  was  found  no  harm  had  resulted 
from  this  experience,  and,  after  reducing  the  gas 
pressure,  which  was  taking  them  too  high,  Tom 
set  the  automatic  rudders. 

"We'll  keep  on  at  slow  speed  through  the 
night,"  he  explained,  "and  in  the  morning  we'll 
be  pretty  well  into  the  interior.  Then  we  can 
lay  our  course  for  wherever  we  want  to  go. 
Where  had  we  better  head  for  ?" 

"I  don't  want  to  interfere  with  your  plans," 
said  Mr.  Anderson,  "but  I  would  like  to  rescue 
those  missionaries.  But  the  trouble  is,  I  don't 
know  just  where  to  look  for  them.  We  couldn't 
get  much  of  a  line  in  Majumba  on  where  the 
country  of  the  red  pygmies  is  located.  What  do 
you  think  about  it,  Mr.  Durban?" 

"As  far  as  elephant  hunting  goes  we  can 
probably  do  as  well  in  the  pygmy  land  as  any- 
where else,"  answered  the  veteran,  "and  perhaps 


AMONG  THE  NATIVES  ioi 

it  will  be  well  to  head  for  that  place.  If  we  run 
across  any  elephant  herds  in  the  meanwhile,  we 
can  stop,  get  the  ivory,  and  proceed." 

They  discussed  this  plan  at  some  length,  and 
agreed  that  it  was  the  best  thing  to  do.  Mr. 
Durban  had  a  map  of  the  country  around  the 
center  of  Africa,  and  he  marked  on  it,  as  nearly 
as  he  could,  the  location  of  the  pygmies'  country, 
while  Mr.  Anderson  also  had  a  chart,  showing 
the  location  of  the  mission  which  had  been 
wiped  out  of  existence.  It  was  in  the  midst  ol 
a  wild  and  desolate  region. 

"We'll  do  the  best  we  can,"  declared  Tom, 
"and  I  think  we'll  succeed.  We  ought  to  be 
there  is  about  a  week,  if  we  have  no  bad  luck." 

All  that  night  the  Black  Hawk  flew  on  over 
Africa,  covering  mile  after  mile,  passing  over 
jungle,  forest,  plains,  rivers  and  lakes,  and, 
doubtless,  over  many  native  villages,  though 
they  could  not  be  seen. 

Morning  found  the  travelers  above  a  great, 
grassy  plain,  dotted  here  and  there  with  negro 
settlements  which  were  separated  by  rivers, 
lakes  or  thin  patches  of  forest. 

"Well,  we'll  speed  up  a  bit,"  decided  Tom 
after  breakfast,  which  was  eaten  to  the  weird 
accompaniment  of  hundreds  of  native  warning- 
drums,  beaten  by  the  superstitious  blacks. 


102     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

Tom  went  to  the  engine  room,  and  turned  on 
more  speed.  He  was  about  to  go  back  to  the 
pilot  house,  to  set  the  automatic  steering  ap- 
paratus to  coincide  with  the  course  mapped  out, 
when  there  was  a  crash  of  metal,  an  ominous 
snapping  and  buzzing  sound,  followed  by  a  sud- 
den silence. 

"What's  that?"  cried  Ned,  who  was  in  the 
motor  compartment  with  his  chum. 

"Something's  gone  wrong!"  exclaimed  the 
young  inventor,  as  he  sprang  back  toward  the 
engine.  The  propellers  'had  ceased  revolving, 
and  as  there  was  no  gas  in  the  bag  at  that  time, 
it  having  been  decided  to  save  the  vapor  for 
future  needs,  the  Black  Hawk  began  falling 
toward  the  earth. 

"We're  going  down!"  yelled  Ned. 

"Yes,  the  main  motor  has  broken!"  exclaimed 
Tom.  "We'll  have  to  descend  to  repair  it." 

"Say!"  yelled  Mr.  Damon,  rushing  in,  "we're 
right  over  a  big  African  village!  Are  we  going 
to  fall  among  the  natives?" 

"It  looks  that  way,"  admitted  Tom  grimly, 
as  he  hastened  to  the  pilot  house  to  shift  the 
wings  so  that  the  craft  could  glide  easily  to  the 
ground. 

"Bless  my  shoe  blacking!"  cried  the  eccentric 


AMONG  THE  NATIVES 


103 


man  as  he  heard  the  beating  of  drums,  and  the 
shouts  of  the  savages. 

A  little  later  the  airship  had  settled  into  the 
midst  of  a  crowd  of  Africans,  who  swarmed  all 


)  about  the  craft. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

OJST  AN   ELEPHANT  TRAIL 

"GET  ready  with  your  guns,  everybody !"  cried 
the  old  elephant  hunter,  as  he  prepared  to  leave 
the  cabin  of  the  Black  Hawk.  "Tom  Swift, 
don't  forget  your  electric  rifle.  There'll  be 
trouble  soon!" 

"Bless  my  cartridge  belt!"  gasped  Mr. 
Damon.  "Why?  What  will  happen?" 

"The  natives,"  answered  Mr.  Durban. 
"They'll  attack  us,  sure  as  fate!  See,  already 
they're  getting  out  their  bows  and  arrows,  and 
blowguns !  They'll  pierce  the  gas  bag  in  a 
hundred  places!" 

"If  they  do,  it  will  be  a  bad  thing  for  us," 
muttered  Tom.  "We  can't  have  that  happen." 

He  followed  the  old  elephant  hunter  outside, 
and  Mr.  Anderson,  Ned  Newton  and  Mr. 
Damon  trailed  after,  each  one  with  a  gun,  while 
Tom  had  his  electric  weapon.  The  airship 
rested  on  its  wheels  on  some  level  ground,  just 
104 


ON  AN  ELEPHANT  TRAIL  105 

in  front  of  a  large  hut,  surrounded  by  a  number 
of  smaller  ones.  All  about  were  the  natives, 
tall,  gaunt  black  men,  hideous  in  their  savagery, 
wearing  only  the  loin  cloth,  and  with  their  kinky 
hair  stuck  full  of  sticks,  bones  and  other  odd 
objects,  they  presented  a  curious  sight. 

Some  of  them  were  dancing  about,  brandish- 
ing their  weapons — clubs,  spears,  bows  and  ar- 
rows, or  the  long,  slender  blowguns,  consisting 
merely  of  a  hollow  reed.  Women  and  children 
there  were,  too,  also  dancing  and  leaping  about, 
howling  at  the  tops  of  their  voices.  Above  the 
unearthly  din  could  be  heard  the  noise  of  the 
drums  and  tom-toms,  while,  as  the  adventurers 
drew  up  in  front  of  their  airship,  there  came  a  sort 
of  chant,  and  a  line  of  natives,  dressed  fantastic- 
ally in  the  skins  of  beasts,  came  filing  out  of 
fhe  large  hut. 

"The  witch-doctors!"  exclaimed  Tom,  who 
had  read  of  them  in  African  travel  books. 

"Are  they  going  to  attack  us?"  cried  Ned. 

"Bless  my  hymn  book!  I  hope  not!"  came 
from  Mr.  Damon.  "We  wouldn't  have  any 
chance  at  all  in  this  horde  of  black  men.  I  wish 
Eradicate  Sampson  and  his  mule  Boomerang 
were  here.  Maybe  he  could  talk  their  language, 
and  tell  them  that  we  meant  no  harm." 


106    TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

"If  there's  any  talking  to  be  done,  I  guess  our 
guns  will  have  to  do  it,"  said  Tom  grimly. 

"I  can  speak  a  little  of  their  language,"  re- 
marked Mr.  Durban,  "but  what  in  the  world  are 
the  beggars  up  to,  anyhow?  I  supposed  they'd 
send  a  volley  of  arrows  at  us,  first  shot,  but  they 
don't  seem  to  be  going  to  do  that." 

"No,  they're  dancing  around  us,"  said  Tom. 

"That's  it!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Anderson.  "I 
•have  it!  Why  didn't  I  think  of  it  before?  The 
natives  are  welcoming  us!" 

"Welcoming  us?"  repeated  Ned. 

"Yes,"  went  on  the  missionary  seeker.  "They 
are  doing  a  dance  in  our  honor,  and  they  have 
even  called  out  the  witch-doctors  to  do  us 
homage." 

"That's  right,"  agreed  Mr.  Durban,  who  was 
listening  to  the  chanting  of  the  natives  dressed 
in  animal  skins.  "They  take  us  for  spirits  from 
another  land,  and  are  making  us  welcome  here. 
Listen,  I'll  see  if  I  can  make  out  what  else  they 
are  saying." 

The  character  of  the  shouts  and  chants 
changed  abruptly,  and  the  dancing  increased  in 
fervor,  even  the  children  throwing  themselves 
wildly  about.  The  witch-doctors  ran  around 
like  so  many  maniacs,  and  it  looked  as  much  like 
an  American  Indian  war  dance  as  anything  else. 


ON  AN  ELEPHANT  TRAIL  107 

"I've  got  it !"  shouted  Mr.  Durban,  for  he  had 
to  call  loudly  to  be  heard  above  the  din.  'They 
are  asking  us  to  make  it  rain.  It  seems  there 
has  been  a  dry  spell  here,  and  their  own  rain- 
makers and  witch-doctors  haven't  been  able  to 
get  a  drop  out  of  the  sky.  Now,  they  take  it 
that  we  have  come  to  help  them.  They  think 
we  are  going  to  bring  rain." 

"And  if  we  don't,  what  will  happen?"  asked 
Tom. 

"Maybe  they  won't  be  quite  so  glad  to  see 
us,"  was  the  answer. 

"Well,  if  they  don't  mean  war,  we  might  as 
well  put  up  our  weapons,"  suggested  Mr.  An- 
derson. "If  they're  going  to  be  friendly,  so 
much  the  better,  and  if  it  should  happen  to  rain 
while  we're  here,  they'd  think  we  brought  it, 
and  we  could  have  almost  anything  we  wanted. 
Perhaps  they  have  a  store  of  ivory  hidden  away, 
Mr.  Durban.  Some  of  these  tribes  do." 

"It's  possible,  but  the  chances  for  rain  are 
very  small.  How  long  will  we  have  to  stay  here, 
Tom  Swift?"  asked  the  elephant  hunter  anx- 
iously. 

"Well,  perhaps  I  can  get  the  motor  mended 
in  two  or  three  days,"  answered  the  young  in- 
ventor, 

"Then  we'll  have  to  stay  here  in  the  mean- 


108     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

while/'  decided  Mr.  Durban.  "Well,  we'll  make 
the  best  of  it.  Ha,  here  comes  the  native  king 
to  do  us  honor,"  and,  as  he  spoke  there  came 
toward  the  airship  a  veritable  giant  of  a  black 
man,  wearing  a  leopard  skin  as  a  royal  garment, 
while  on  his  head  was  a  much  battered  derby 
hat,  probably  purchased  at  a  fabulous  price  from 
some  trader.  The  king,  if  such  he  could  be 
called,  was  accompanied  by  a  number  of  at- 
tendants and  witch-doctors.  In  front  walked  a 
small  man,  who,  as  it  developed,  was  an  inter- 
preter. The  little  cavalcade  advanced  close  to 
the  airship,  and  came  to  a  halt.  The  king  made 
a  low  bow,  either  to  the  craft  or  to  the  elephant 
hunters  drawn  up  in  front  of  it.  His  attendants 
followed  his  example,  and  then  the  interpreter 
began  to  speak. 

Mr.  Durban  listened  intently,  made  a  brief 
answer  to  the  little  man,  and  then  the  elephant 
hunter's  face  lighted  up. 

"It's  all  right,"  he  said  to  Tom  and  the 
others.  "The  king  takes  us  for  wonderful  spirits 
from  another  land.  He  welcomes  us,  says  we 
can  have  whatever  we  want,  and  he  begs  us  tc 
make  it  rain.  I  have  said  we  will  do  our.  best, 
and  I  have  asked  that  some  food  be  sent  us. 
That's  always  the  first  thing  to  do.  WU1  be 
allowed  to  stay  here  in  peace  until  Tom  can 


ON  AN  ELEPHANT  TRAIL  109 

mend  the  ship,  and  then  we'll  hit  the  air  trail 
again." 

The  talk  between  Mr.  Durban  and  the  inter- 
preter continued  for  some  little  time  longer. 
Then  the  king  went  back  to  his  hut,  refusing, 
as  Mr.  Durban  said,  an  invitation  to  come 
aboard  and  see  how  a  modern  airship  was  con- 
structed. The  natives,  too,  seemed  anxious  to 
give  the  craft  a  wide  berth. 

The  excitement  had  quieted  down  now,  and, 
in  a  short  time  a  crowd  of  native  women  came 
toward  the  airship,  bearing,  in  baskets  on  their 
heads,  food  of  various  kinds.  There  were 
bananas,  some  wild  fruits,  yams,  big  gourds  of 
goats'  milk,  some  boiled  and  stewed  flesh  of 
young  goats,  nicely  cooked,  and  other  things, 
the  nature  of  which  could  only  be  guessed  at. 

"Shall  we  eat  this  stuff,  or  stick  to  Mr. 
Damon's  cooking?"  asked  Tom. 

"Oh,  you'll  find  this  very  good,"  explained 
Mr.  Durban.  "I've  eaten  native  cookery  be- 
fore. Some  of  it  is  excellent,  and  as  this  appears 
to  be  very  good,  Mr.  Damon  can  have  a  vaca- 
tion while  we  are  here." 

The  old  elephant  hunter  proved  the  correct- 
ness of  his  statement  by  beginning  to  eat,  and 
soon  all  the  travelers  were  partaking  of  the  food 
left  by  the  native  women.  They  placed  it  down 


HO     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

on  the  ground  at  a  discreet  distance  from  the 
airship,  and  hurriedly  withdrew.  But  if  the 
women  and  men  were  afraid,  the  children  were 
not,  and  they  were  soon  swarming  about  the 
ship,  timidly  touching  the  sides  with  their  little 
black  fingers,  but  no-t  venturing  on  board. 

Tom,  with  Ned  and  Mr.  Damon  to  help  him, 
began  work  on  the  motor  right  after  dinner.  He 
found  the  break  to  be  worse  than  he  had  sup- 
posed, and  knew  that  it  would  take  at  least  four 
days  to  repair  it. 

Meanwhile  the  airship  continued  to  be  a 
source  of  wonder  to  the  natives.  They  were 
always  about  it,  save  at  night,  but  their  admira- 
tion was  a  respectful  one.  The  king  was  anxious 
for  the  rain-making  incantations  to  begin,  but 
Mr.  Durban  put  him  off. 

"I  don't  want  to  deceive  these  simple  na- 
tives," he  said,  "and  for  our  own  safety  we  can't 
pretend  to  make  rain,  and  fail.  As  soon  as  we 
have  a  chance  we'll  slip  away  from  here." 

But  an  unexpected  happening  made  a  change 
in  their  plans.  It  was  on  the  afternoon  of  their 
/third  day  in  the  native  village,  and  Tom  and  his 
assistants  were  working  hard  at  the  motor. 
Suddenly  there  seemed  to  be  great  excitement 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  king's  hut.  A  native  had 
rushed  into  the  village  from  the  jungle,  evi- 


ON  AN  ELEPHANT  TRAIL  m 

dently  with  some  news,  for  presently  the  whole 
place  was  in  a  turmoil. 

Once  more  the  king  and  his  attendants  filed 
out  toward  the  airship.  Once  more  the  inter- 
preter talked  to  Mr.  Durban,  who  listened 
eagerly. 

"By  Jove!  here's  our  chance!"  he  cried  to 
Tom,  when  the  little  man  had  finished. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  the  young  inventor. 

"A  runner  has  just  come  in  with  news  that  a 
large  herd  of  wild  elephants  is  headed  this  way. 
The  king  is  afraid  the  big  beasts  will  trample 
down  all  their  crops,  as  often  occurs,  and  he  begs 
us  to  go  out  and  drive  the  animals  away.  It's 
just  what  we  want.  Come  on,  Tom,  and  all  of 
you.  The  airship  will  be  safe  here,  for  the  natives 
think  that  to  meddle  with  it  would  mean  death 
or  enchantment  for  them.  We'll  get  on  our 
first  elephant  trail!" 

The  -old  hunter  went  into  the  cabin  for  his  big 
game  gun,  while  Tom  hastened  to  get  out  his 
electric  rifle.  Now  he  would  have  a  chance  to 
try  it  on  the  powerful  beasts  which  he  had  come 
to  Africa  to  hunt. 

Amid  the  excited  and  joyous  shouts  of  the 
natives,  the  hunters  filed  out  of  the  village,  led 
by  the  dusky  messenger  who  had  brought  the 


112    TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

news  of  the  elephants.  And,  as  Tom  and  the 
others  advanced,  they  could  hear  a  distant 
trumpeting,  and  a  crashing  in  the  jungle  that 
told  of  the  near  presence  of  the  great  animals. 


CHAPTER    XIV 

A  STAMPEDE 

"LooK  to  your  guns,  everybody!"  cautioned 
Mr.  Durban.  "It's  no  joke  to  be  caught  in  an 
elephant  herd  with  an  unloaded  rifle.  Have  you 
plenty  of  ammunition,  Mr.  Damon  ?" 

"Ammunition  ?  Bless  my  powder  bag,  I  think 
I  have  enough  for  all  the  elephants  I'll  kill.  If 
I  get  one  of  the  big  beasts  I'll  be  satisfied.  Bless 
my  piano  keys!  I  think  I  see  them,  Tom!" 

He  pointed  off  through  the  thick  jungle. 
Surely  something  was  moving  there  amid  the 
trees;  great  slate-colored  bodies,  massive  forms 
and  waving  trunks!  The  trumpeting  increased, 
and  the  crashing  of  the  underbrush  sounded 
louder  and  nearer: 

"There  they  are!"  cried  Tom  Swift  joyously. 

"Now  for  my  first  big  game!"  yelled  Ned 
Newton. 

"Take  it  easy,"  advised  Mr.  Anderson.  "Re- 
member to  aim  for  the  spot  I  mentioned  to  you 


1I4    TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

as  being  the  best,  just  at  the  base  of  the  skull. 
If  you  can't  make  a  head  shot,  or  through  the 
eye,  try  for  the  heart.  But  with  the  big  bullets 
we  have,  almost  any  kind  of  a  shot,  near  a  vital 
spot,  will  answer." 

"And  Tom  can  fire  at  their  toes  and  put  them 
out  of  business,"  declared  Ned,  who  was  eagerly 
advancing.  "How  about  it,  Tom?" 

"Well,  I  guess  the  electric  rifle  will  come  up  to 
expectations.  Say,  Mr.  Durban,  they  seem 
to  be  heading  this  way!"  excitedly  cried  Tom, 
as  the  herd  of  big  beasts  suddenly  turned  and 
changed  their  course. 

"Yes,  they  are,"  admitted  the  old  elephant 
hunter  calmly.  "But  that  won't  matter.  Take 
it  easy.  Kill  all  you  can." 

"But  we  don't  want  to  put  too  many  out  of 
business,"  said  Tom,  who  was  not  needlessly 
cruel,  even  in  hunting. 

"I  know  that,"  answered  Mr.  Durban.  "But 
this  is  a  case  of  necessity.  I've  got  to  get  ivory, 
and  we  have  to  kill  quite  a  few  elephants  to 
accomplish  this.  Besides  the  brutes  will  head 
for  the  village  and  the  natives'  grain  fields,  and 
trample  them  down,  if  they're  not  headed  back. 
So  all  together  now,  we'll  give  them  a  volley. 
This  is  a  good  place!  There  they  are.  All  line 
up  now.  Get  ready!" 


A  STAMPEDE  115 

He  halted,  and  the  others  followed  his 
iexample.  The  natives  had  come  to  a  stop  some 
time  before,  and  were  huddled  together  in  the 
jungle  back  of  our  friends,  waiting  to  see  the 
result  of  the  white  men's  shots. 

Tom,  Ned,  Mr.  Damon,  and  the  two  older 
hunters  were  on  an  irregular  line  in  the  forest. 
Before  them  was  the  mass  of  elephants  advanc- 
ing slowly,  and  feeding  on  the  tender  leaves  of 
trees  as  they  came  on.  They  would  reach  up 
with  their  long  trunks,  strip  off  the  foliage,  and 
stuff  it  into  their  mouths.  Sometimes,  they 
even  pulled  up  small  trees  by  the  roots  for  the 
purpose  of  stripping  them  more  easily. 

"Jove!  There  are  some  big  tuskers  in  that 
bunch!"  cried  Mr.  Durban.  "Aim  for  the  bulls, 
everyone,  don't  kill  the  mothers  or  little  ones." 
Tom  now  saw  that  there  were  a  number  of  baby 
elephants  in  the  herd,  and  he  appreciated  the 
hunter's  desire  to  spare  them  and  their  mothers. 

"Here  we  go!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Durban,  as  he 
saw  that  Tom  and  the  others  were  ready.  "Aim! 
Fire!" 

There  were  thundering  reports  that  awoke 
the  echoes  of  the  jungle,  and  the  sounds  of  the 
rifles  were  followed  by  shrill  trumpets  of  rage. 
.When  the  smoke  blew  away  three  elephants 
were  seen  prostrate,  or,  rather  two,  and  part  of 


Il6     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

another  one.  The  last  was  almost  blown  to 
pieces  by  Tom  Swift's  electric  rifle,  for  the 
young  inventor  had  used  a  little  too  heavy 
charge,  and  the  big  beast  had  been  almost  an- 
nihilated. 

Mr.  Durban  had  dropped  his  bull  with  a  well- 
directed  shot,  and  Mr.  Anderson  had  a  smaller 
one  to  his  credit. 

"I  guess  I  missed  mine,"  said  Ned  ruefully. 

"Bless  my  dress-suit  case!"  exclaimed  Mr. 
Damon.  "So  did  I!" 

"One  of  you  hit  that  fellow!"  cried  Mr.  Dur- 
ban. "He's  wounded." 

He  pointed  to  a  fair-sized  bull  who  was  run- 
ning wildly  about,  uttering  shrill  cries  of  anger. 
The  other  beasts  had  gathered  in  a  compact  mass, 
with  the  larger  bulls,  or  tuskers,  on  the  outside, 
to  protect  the  females  and  young. 

"I'll  try  a  shot  at  him,"  said  Tom,  and  raising 
his  electric  gun,  he  took  quick  aim.  The  ele- 
phant dropped  in  his  tracks,  for  this  time  the 
young  inventor  had  correctly  adjusted  the 
power  of  the  wireless  bullet. 

"Good!"  cried  Mr.  Durban.  "Give  them  some 
more!  This  is  some  of  the  best  ivory  I've 
seen  yet!" 

As  he  spoke  he  fired,  and  bowled  over  another 
magnificent  specimen.  N$d  Newton,  determined 


A  STAMPEDE  117 

to  make  a  record  of  at  least  one,  fired  again,  and 
to  \iis  delig'ht,  saw  a  big  fellow  drop. 

"I  got  him!"  -he  yelled. 

Mr.  Anderson  also  got  another,  and  then  Mr. 
Damon,  blessing  something  which  his  friends 
could  not  make  out,  fired  at  one  of  the  largest 
bulls  in  the  herd. 

"You  only  nipped  him!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Dur- 
ban when  the  smoke  had  drifted  away.  "I  guess 
I'll  put  him  out  of  his  misery!" 

He  raised  his  weapon  and  pulled  the  trigger 
but  no  report  followed.  He  uttered  an  exclama- 
tion of  dismay. 

"The  breech-action  has  jammed !"  he  exclaimed. 
"Drop  him,  Tom.  He's  scented  us,  and  is 
headed  this  way.  The  whole  herd  will  follow 
in  a  minute." 

Already  the  big  brute  wounded  by  Mr. 
Damon  had  trumpeted  out  a  cry  of  rage  and 
defiance.  It  was  echoed  by  his  mates.  Then, 
with  upraised  trunk,  he  darted  forward,  followed 
by  a  score  of  big  tuskers. 

But  Tom  had  heard  and  understood.  The 
leading  beast  had  not  taken  three  steps  before 
he  dropped  under  the  deadly  and  certain  fire  of 
the  young  inventor. 

"Bless    my   wishbone!"    cried   Mr.    Damon, 


1 18     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

wheft  he  saw  how  effective  the  electric  weapon 
was. 

There  was  a  shout  of  joy  from  the  natives  in 
the  rear.  They  saw  the  slain  creatures  and 
knew  there  would  be  much  fresh  meat  and 
feasting  for  them  for  days  to  come. 

Suddenly  Mr.  Durban  cried  out: 

"Fire  again,  Tom!  Fire  everybody!  The 
whole  herd  is  coming  this  way.  If  we  don't 
stop  them  they'll  overrun  the  fields  and  village, 
and  may  smash  the  airship!  Fire  again!" 

Almost  as  he  spoke,  the  rush,  which  had  been 
stopped  momentarily,  when  Tom  dropped  the 
Wounded  elephant,  began  again.  With  shrill 
menacing  cries  the  score  of  bulls  in  the  lead 
came  on,  followed  this  time  by  the  females  and 
the  young. 

"It's  a  stampede!"  yelled  Mr.  Anderson,  firing 
into  the  midst  of  the  herd.  Mr.  Durban  was  work- 
ing frantically  at  his  clogged  rifle.  Ned  and  Mr. 
Damon  both  fired,  and  Tom  Swift,  adjusting  his 
weapon  to  give  the  heaviest  charges,  shot  a 
fusillade  of  wireless  bullets  into  the  center  of  the 
advancing  elephants,  who  were  now  wild  with 
fear  and  anger. 

"It's  a  stampede  all  right!"  said  Tom,  when  he 
saw  that  the  big  creatures  were  not  going  to  stop, 
in  spite  of  the  deadly  fire  poured  into  them. 


CHAPTER  XV 

LIONS  IN  THE  NIGHT 

SHOUTING,  screaming,  imploring  their  deities 
in  general,  and  the  white  men  in  particular  for 
protection,  the  band  of  frightened  natives  broke 
and  ran  through  the  jungle,  caring  little  where 
they  went  so  long  as  they  escaped  the  awful 
terror  of  the  pursuing  herd  of  maddened  ele- 
phants. Behind  them  came  Tom  Swift  and  the 
others,  for  it  were  folly  to  stop  in  the  path  of 
the  infuriated  brutes. 

"Our  only  chance  is  to  get  on  their  flank  and 
try  to  turn  them !"  yelled  Mr.  Durban.  We  may 
beat  them  in  getting  to  the  clearing,  for  the 
trail  is  narrow.  Run,  everybody!" 

No  one  needed  his  excited  advice  to  cause 
them  to  hurry.  They  scudded  along,  Mr. 
Damon's  cap  falling  off  in  his  haste.  But  he  did 
not  stop  to  pick  it  up. 

The  hunters  had  one  advantage.  They  were 
on  a  narrow  but  well-cleared  trail  through  the 
119 


120    TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

jungle,  which  led  from  the  village  where  they 
were  encamped,  to  another,  several  miles  away. 
This  trail  was  too  small  for  the  elephants,  and, 
indeed,  had  to  be  taken  in  single  file  by  the 
travelers. 

But  it  prevented  the  elephants  making  the 
same  speed  as  did  our  friends,  for  the  jungle,  at 
this  point,  consisted  of  heavy  trees,  which  halted 
the  progress  of  even  the  strongest  of  the  power- 
ful beasts.  True,  they  could  force  aside  the  frail 
underbrush  and  the  small  trees,  but  the  others 
impeded  their  progress. 

"We'll  get  there  ahead  of  them!"  cried  Tom. 
"Have  you  got  your  rifle  in  working  order  yet, 
Mr.  Durban?" 

"No,  something  has  broken,  I  fear.  We'll 
have  to  depend  on  your  electric  gun,  Tom. 
Have  you  many  charges  left?" 

"A  dozen  or  so.  But  Ned  and  the  others 
have  plenty  of  ammunition." 

"Don't  count — on — me !"  panted  Mr.  Damon, 
who  was  well-nigh  breathless  from  the  run.  "I — 
can't — aim — straight — any — more !" 

"I'll  give  'em  a  few  more  bullets!"  declared 
Mr.  Anderson. 

The  fleeing  natives  were  now  almost  lost  to 
sight,  for  they  could  travel  through  the  jungle, 
ignoring  the  trail,  at  high  speed.  They  were 


LIONS  IN  THE  NIGHT  121 

almost  like  snakes  or  animals  in  this  respect. 
Their  one  thought  was  to  "get  to  their  village, 
and,  if  possible,  protect  their  huts  and  fields  of 
grain  from  annihilation  by  the  elephants. 

Behind  our  friends,  trumpeting,  bellowing  and 
crashing  came  the  pachyderms.  They  seemed 
to  be  gaining,  and  Tom,  looking  back,  saw  one 
big  brute  emerge  upon  the  trail,  and  follow  that. 

"I've  got  to  stop  him,  or  some  of  the  others 
will  do  the  same,"  thought  the  young  inventor. 
He  halted  and  fired  quickly.  The  elephant 
seemed  to  melt  away,  and  Tom  with  regret,  saw 
a  pair  of  fine  tusks  broken  to  bits.  "I  used  too 
heavy  a  charge,"  he  murmured,  as  he  took  up 
the  retreat  again. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  party  of  hunters,  who 
were  now  playing  more  in  the  role  of  the  hunted, 
came  out  into  the  open.  They  could  hear  the 
natives  beating  on  their  big  hollow  tree  drums, 
and  on  tom-toms,  while  the  witch-doctors  and 
medicine  men  were  chanting  weird  songs  to 
drive*  the  elephants  away. 

But  the  beasts  came  on.  One  by  one  they 
emerged  from  the  jungle,  until  the  herd  was 
gathered  together  again  in  a  compact  mass. 
Then,  under  the  leadership  of  some  big  bulls, 
they  advanced.  It  seemed  as  if  they  knew  what 
they  were  doing,  and  were  determined  to 


122    TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

revenge  themselves  by  trampling  the  natives'  huts 
under  their  ponderous  feet. 

But  Tom  and  the  others  were  not  idle.  Tak- 
ing a  position  off  to  one  side,  the  young  in- 
ventor began  pouring  a  fusillade  of  the  electric 
bullets  into  the  mass  of  slate-colored  bodies. 
Mr.  Anderson  was  also  firing,  and  Ned,  who  had 
gotten  over  some  of  his  excitement,  was  also 
doing  execution.  Mr.  Durban,  after  vainly  try- 
ing to  get  his  rifle  to  work,  cast  it  aside. 

"Here!  Let  me  take  your  gun!"  he  cried  to 
Mr.  Damon,  who,  panting  from  the  run,  was 
sitting  beneath  a  tree. 

"Bless  my  cartridge  belt!  Take  it  and  wel- 
come!" assented  the  eccentric  man.  It  still  had 
several  shots  in  the  magazine,  and  these  the  old 
hunter  used  with  good  effect. 

At  first  it  seemed  as  if  the  elephants  could 
not  be  turned  back.  They  kept  on  rushing 
toward  the  village,  which  was  not  far  away,  and 
Tom  and  the  others  followed  at  one  side,  as  best 
they  could,  firing  rapidly.  The  electric  rifle  did 
fearful  execution. 

Emboldened  by  the  fear  that  all  their  posses- 
sions would  be  destroyed  a  body  of  the  natives 
rushed  out,  right  in  front  of  the  elephants,  and 
beat  tom-toms  and  drums,  almost  under  their 
feet,  at  the  same  time  singing  wild  songs. 


LIONS  IN  THE  NIGHT  123 

"I'm  afraid  we  can't  stop  them!"  muttered 
Mr.  Anderson.  "We'd  better  hurry  to  the  air- 
ship, and  protect  that,  Tom." 

But,  almost  as  he  spoke,  the  tide  of  battle 
turned.  The  elephants  suddenly  swung  about, 
and  began  a  retreat.  They  could  not  stand  the 
hot  fire  of  the  four  guns,  including  Tom's  fearful 
weapon.  With  wild  trumpetings  they  fled  back 
into  the  jungle,  leaving  a  number  of  their  dead 
behind. 

"A  close  call,"  murmured  Tom,  as  he  drew  a 
breath  of  relief.  Indeed  this  was  true,  for  the 
tide  had  turned  when  the  foremost  elephants 
were  not  a  hundred  feet  away  from  the  first 
rows  of  native  huts. 

"I  should  say  it  was,"  agreed  Ned  Newton, 
wiping  his  face  with  his  handkerchief.  He,  as 
well  as  the  others,  was  an  odd-looking  sight. 
They  were  blackened  by  powder  smoke, 
scratched  by  briars,  and  red  from  exertion. 

"But  we  got  more  ivory  in  this  hour  than  I 
could  have  secured  in  a  week  of  ordinary  hunt- 
ing!" declared  Mr.  Durban.  "If  this  keeps  up 
we  won't  have  to  get  much  more,  except  that 
I  don't  think  any  of  the  tusks  to-day  are  large 
enough  for  the  special  purpose  of  my  customer/' 

"The  sooner  we  get  enough  ivory  the  quicker 


124    TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

we  can  go  to  the  rescue  of  the  missionaries," 
said  Mr.  Anderson. 

"That's  so,"  remarked  Tom.  "We  must  not 
forget  the  red  pygmies." 

The  natives  were  now  dancing  about,  wild  in 
delight  at  the  prospect  of  unlimited  eating,  and 
also  thankful  for  what  the  white  men  had  done 
for  them.  Alone,  the  blacks  would  never  have 
been  able  to  stop  the  stampede.  They  were 
soon  busy  cutting  up  the  elephants  ready  for  a 
big  feast,  and  runners  were  sent  to  tell  neighbor- 
ing tribes,  in  adjoining  villages,  of  the  delights 
awaiting  them. 

Mr.  Durban  gave  instructions  about  saving 
the  ivory  tusks,  and  the  valuable  teeth,  each 
pair  worth  about  $1,000,  were  soon  cut  out  and 
put  away  for  our  friends.  Some  had  been  lost 
by  the  excessive  power  of  Tom's  gun,  but  this 
could  not  be  helped.  It  was  necessary  to  stop 
the  rush  at  any  price. 

There  was  soon  a  busy  scene  at  the  native 
village,  and  with  the  arrival  of  other  tribesmen 
it  seemed  as  if  Bedlam  had  broken  loose.    The[ 
blacks  chattered  like  so  many  children  as  they 
prepared  for  the  feast. 

"Do  white  men  ever  eat  elephant  meat?" 
asked  Mr.  Damon,  as  the  adventurers  were 
gathered  about  the  airship. 


LIONS  IN  THE  NIGHT  125 

"Indeed  they  do,"  declared  Mr.  Durban. 
"Baked  elephant  foot  is  a  delicacy  that  few  ap- 
preciate. I'll  have  the  natives  cook  some 
for  us/' 

He  gave  the  necessary  orders,  and  the  trav- 
elers had  to  admit  that  it  was  worth  coming  far 
to  get. 

For  the  next  few  days  and  nights  there  was 
great  feasting  in  that  African  village,  and  the 
praises  of  the  white  men,  and  power  of  Tom 
Swift's  electric  rifle,  were  sung  loud  and  long. 

Our  friends  had  resumed  work  on  repairing 
the  airship,  and  the  young  inventor  declared, 
one  night,  that  they  could  proceed  the  next  day. 

They  were  seated  around  a  small  campfire, 
watching  the  dancing  and  antics  of  some  natives 
who  were  at  their  usual  work  of  eating  meat. 
All  about  our  friends  were  numerous  blazes  for 
the  cooking  of  the  feasts,  and  some  were  on  the 
very  edge  of  the  jungle. 

Suddenly,  above  the  uncouth  sounds  of  the 
merry-making,  there  was  heard  a  deep  vibration 
and  roar,  not  unlike  the  distant  rumble  of 
thunder  or  the  hum  of  a  great  steamer's  whistle 
heard  afar  in  the  fog. 

"What's  that?"  cried  Ned. 

"Lions,"  said  Mr.  Durban  briefly.  "They 
have  been  attracted  by  the  smell  of  cooking." 


126     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

At  that  moment,  and  instantly  following  a 
very  loud  roar,  there  was  an  agonized  scream  of 
pain  and  terror.  It  sounded  directly  in  back  of 
the  airship. 

UA  lion!"  cried  Mr.  Anderson.  "One  of  the 
brutes  has  'grabbed  a  native!" 

Tom  Swift  caught  up  his  rifle,  and  darted  off 
toward  the  dark  jungle. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

SEEKING  THE  MISSIONARIES 

"HERE!  Come  back!"  yelled  Mr.  Damon  and 
Mr.  Anderson,  in  the  same  breath,  while  the  old 
elephant  hunter  cried  out:  "Don't  you  know 
you're  risking  your  life,  Tom  to  go  off  in  the 
dark,  to  trail  a  lion?" 

"I  can't  stand  it  to  let  the  native  be  carried 
off!"  Tom  shouted  back. 

"But  you  can't  see  in  the  dark,"  objected  Mr. 
Anderson.  He  had  probably  forgotten  the 
peculiar  property  of  the  electric  rifle.  Tom 
kept  on,  and  the  others  slowly  followed. 

The  natives  had  at  once  ceased  their  merry- 
making at  the  roaring  of  the  lions,  and  now 
all  were  gathered  close  about  the  campfires,  on 
which  more  wood  had  been  piled,  to  drive  away 
the  fearsome  brutes. 

"There  must  be  a  lot  of  them,"  observed  Mr. 
Durban,  as  menacing  growls  and  roars  cams 
from  the  jungle,  along  the  edge  of  which  Tom 
127 


128     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

and  the  others  were  walking  just  then.  "There 
are  so  many  of  fhe  brutes  that  they  are  bold, 
and  they  must  be  hungry,  too.  They  came  close 
to  our  fire,  because  it  wasn't  so  bright  as  the 
other  blazes,  and  that  native  must  have  wan- 
dered off  into  the  forest.  Well,  I  guess  it's  all 
up  with  him." 

"He's  screaming  yet,"  observed  Ned. 

Indeed,  above  the  rumbling  roars  of  the  lions, 
and  the  crackling  of  the  campfires,  could  be  heard 
the  moaning  cries  of  the  unfortunate  black. 

"He's  right  close  here!"  suddenly  called  Tom. 
"He's  skirting  the  jungle.  I  think  I  can  get 
him!" 

"Don't  take  any  risks!"  called  Mr.  Durban, 
who  had  caught  up  his  own  rifle,  that  was  now 
in  working  order  again. 

Tom  Swift  was  not  in  sight.  He  had  now 
penetrated  into  the  jungle — into  the  black 
forest  where  stalked  the  savage  lions,  intent  on 
getting  other  prey.  Mr.  Durban  and  Mr.  An- 
derson vainly  tried  to  pierce  the  darkness  to  see 
something  at  which  to  shoot.  Ned  Newton  had 
eagerly  started  to  follow  his  chum,  but  could 
not  discern  where  Tom  was.  A  nameless  fear 
clutched  at  the  lad's  heart.  Mr.  Damon  was 
softly  blessing  everything  of  which  he  could 
think. 


SEEKING  THE  MISSIONARIES  129 

Once  more  came  that  pitiful  cry  from  the  na- 
tive, who  was,  as  they  afterward  learned,  being 
dragged  along  by  the  lion,  who  had  grabbed 
him  by  the  shoulder. 

Suddenly  in  the  dense  jungle  there  shone  a 
purple-bluish  light.  It  illuminated  the  scene  like 
some  great  sky-rocket  for  an  instant,  and  in  that 
brief  time  Ned  and  the  others  caught  sight  of  a 
great,  tawny  form,  bounding  along.  It  was  a 
lion,  with  head  held  high,  dragging  along  a  help- 
less black  man. 

A  second  later,  and  before  the  intense  glare 
had  died  away,  the  watchers  saw  the  lion  gently 
sink  down,  as  though  weary.  He  stopped  short 
in  his  tracks,  his  head  rolled  back,  the  jaws  re- 
laxed and  the  native,  who  was  unconscious  now, 
toppled  to  one  side. 

"Tom's  killed  him  with  the  electric  rifle!" 
cried  Mr.  Durban. 

"Bless  my  incandescent  lamp!  so  he  has," 
agreed  Mr.  Damon.  "Bless  my  dynamo!  but 
that's  a  wonderful  gun,  it's  as  powerful  as  a 
thunderbolt,  or  as  gentle  as  a  summer  shower." 

Mr.  Durban  seeing  that  the  lion  was  dead,  in 
that  brief  glance  he  had  had  of  the  brute,  called 
to  some  of  the  natives  to  come  and  get  their 
tribesman.  They  came,  timidly  enough  at  first, 
carrying  many  torches,  but  when  they  under- 


130    TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

stood  that  the  lion  was  dead,  they  advanced 
more  boldly.  They  carried  the  wounded  black 
to  a  hut,  where  they  applied  their  simple  but 
effective  remedies  for  the  cruel  bite  in  his 
shoulder. 

After  Tom  had  shot  several  other  of  the  il- 
luminated charges  into  the  jungle,  to  see  if  he 
could  discover  any  more  lions,  but  failed  to  do 
so,  he  and  his  friends  returned  to  the  anchored 
airship,  amid  the  murmured  thanks  of  the 
Africans. 

Bright  fires  were  kept  blazing  all  the  rest  of 
the  night,  but,  though  lions  could  be  heard 
roaring  in  the  jungle,  and  though  they  ap- 
proached alarmingly  close  to  the  place  where 
our  friends  were  encamped,  none  of  the  savage 
brutes  ventured  within  the  clearing. 

With  the  valuable  store  of  ivory  aboard  the 
Black  Hawk,  which  was  now  completely  re- 
paired, an  early  start  was  made  the  next 
morning.  The  Africans  besought  Tom  and  his 
companions  to  remain,  for  it  was  not  often  they 
could  have  the  services  of  white  men  in  slaying 
elephants  and  lions. 

"But  we've  got  to  get  on  the  trail,"  decided 
Tom,  when  the  natives  had  brought  great  stores 
of  food,  and  such  simple  presents  as  they  pos- 
sessed, to  induce  the  travelers  to  remain. 


SEEKING  THE  MISSIONARIES  131 

"Every  hour  may  add  to  the  danger  of  the  mis- 
sionaries in  the  hands  of  the  red  pygmies." 

"Yes,"  said  Mr.  Anderson  gravely,  "it  is  our 
duty  to  save  them." 

And  so  the  airship  mounted  into  the  air,  our 
friends  waving  farewells  to  the  simple-hearted 
blacks,  who  did  a  sort  of  farewell  war-dance  in 
their  honor,  shouting  their  praises  aloud,  and 
beating  the  drums  and  tom-toms,  so  that  the 
echoes  followed  for  some  time  after  the  Black 
Hawk  had  begun  to  mount  upward  toward 
the  sky. 

The  craft  was  in  excellent  shape,  due  to  the 
overhauling  Tom  had  given  it  while  making  the 
repairs.  With  the  propellers  beating  the  air, 
and  the  rudder  set  to  hold  them  about  two 
thousand  feet  high,  the  travelers  moved  rapidly 
over  clearings,  forests  and  jungles. 

It  was  agreed  that  now,  when  they  had  made 
such  a  good  start  in  collecting  ivory,  that  they 
would  spend  the  next  few  days  in  trying  to  get 
on  the  trail  of  the  red  pygmies.  It  might  seem 
a  simple  matter,  after  knowing  the  approximate 
location  of  the  land  of  these  fierce  little  natives, 
to  have  proceeded  directly  to  it.  But  Africa  is 
an  immense  continent,  and  even  in  an  airship 
comparatively  little  of  the  interior  can  be  seen 
at  a  time. 


132 


TOM  SWIFT  AND  PUS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 


Besides,  the  red  pygmies  had  a  habit  of  mov- 
ing from  place  to  place,  and  they  were  so  small, 
and  so  wild,  capable  of  living  in  very  tiny  huts 
or  caves,  and  so  primitive,  not  building  regular 
villages  as  the  other  Africans  do,  that  as  Ned 
said,  they  were  as  hard  to  locate  as  the  pro- 
verbial flea. 

Our  friends  had  a  general  idea  of  where  to 
look  for  them,  but  on  nearing.  that  land,  and 
making  inquiries  of  several  friendly  tribes,  they 
learned  that  the  red  pygmies  had  suddenly  dis- 
appeared from  their  usual  haunts. 

"I  guess  they  heard  that  we  were  after  them," 
said  Tom,  with  a  grim  smile  one  day,  as  he  sent 
the  airship  down  toward  the  earth,  for  they  were 
over  a  great  plain,  and  several  native  villages 
could  be  seen  dotted  on  its  surface. 

"More  likely  they  are  in  hiding  because  they 
have  as  captives  two  white  persons,"  said  Mr. 
Anderson.  "They  are  fierce  and  fearless,  but, 
nevertheless,  they  have,  in  times  past,  felt  the 
vengeance  of  the  white  man,  and  perhaps  they 
dread  that  now." 

They  made  a  descent,  and  spent  several  days 
making  inquiries  from  the  friendly  blacks  about 
the  race  of  little  men.  But  scarcely  anything 
was  learned.  Some  of  the  negro  tribes  admitted 
having  heard  of  the  red  pygmies,  and  others, 


SEEKING  THE  MISSIONARIES  133 

with   superstitious   incantations   and  impreca- 
tions, said  they  had  never  heard  of  them. 

One  tribe  of  very  large  negroes  had  heard 
a  rumor  to  the  effect  that  the  land  of  the  pyg- 
mies was  several  days'  journey  from  their  village, 
across  the  mountains,  and  when  Tom  sent  his 
airship  there,  the  searchers  only  found  an  im- 
penetrable jungle,  filled  with  lions  and  other 
wild  beasts,  but  not  a  sign  of  the  pygmies,  and 
with  no  elephants  to  reward  their  search. 

"But  we're  not  going  to  give  up,"  declared 
Tom,  and  the  others  agreed  with  him.  Forward 
went  the  Black  Hawk  in  the  search  for  the  im- 
prisoned ones,  but,  as  the  days  passed,  and  no 
news  was  had,  is  seemed  to  grow  more  and  more 
hopeless. 

"I'm  afraid  if  we  do  find  them  now,"  remarked 
Mr.  Anderson  at  length,  "that  we'll  only  recover 
the  bodies  of  the  missionaries." 

"Then  we'll  avenge  them,"  said  Tom  quietly. 

They  had  stopped  at  another  native  village  to 
make  inquiries,  but  without  result,  and  were 
about  to  start  off  again  that  night  when  a 
runner  came  in  to  announce  that  a  herd  of  big 
elephants  was  feeding  not  many  miles  away. 

"Well,  we'll  stay  over  a  day  or  so,  and  get  some 
more  ivory,"  decided  Mr.  Durban,  and  that  night 
they  got  ready  for  what  was  to  prove  a  big  hunt. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

SHOTS  FROM  ABOVE 

"THERE  they  are!" 

"My,  what  a  lot  of  big  ones!" 

"Jove!    Mr.  Anderson,  see  those  tusks!" 

"Yes,  you  ought  to  get  what  you  want  this 
time,  Mr.  Durban." 

"Bless  my  hatband!  There  must  be  two 
hundred  of  them!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Damon. 

"I'm  glad  I  recharged  my  rifle  last  night!" 
exclaimed  Tom  Swift.  "It's  fully  loaded  now." 

Then  followed  exulting  cries  and  shouts  of 
the  natives,  who  were  following  our  friends,  the 
elephant  hunters,  who  had  given  voice  to  the  re- 
marks we  have  just  quoted. 

It  was  early  in  the  morning,  and  the  hunt  was 
about  to  start,  for  the  news  brought  in  by  the 
runner  the  night  before  had  been  closely  fol- 
lowed by  the  brutes  themselves,  and  at  dawn 
our  friends  were  astir,  for  scouts  brought  in 
•word  that  the  elephants,  including  many  big 
134 


SHOTS  FROM  ABOVE  135 

ones,  were  passing  along*  only  a  few  miles  from 
the  African  village. 

Cautiously  approaching,  with  the  wind  blow- 
ing from  the  elephants  to  them,  the  white  hunt- 
'  ers  made  their  way  along.  Mr.  Durban  was  in 
the  lead,  and  when  he  saw  a  favorable  oppor- 
tunity he  motioned  for  the  others  to  advance. 
Then,  when  he  noticed  the  big  bull  sentinels  of 
the  herd  look  about  as  if  to  detect  the  presence 
of  enemies,  he  gave  another  signal  and  the  hunt- 
ers sank  out  of  sight  in  the  tall  grass. 

As  for  the  natives,  they  were  like  snakes,  un- 
seen but  ever  present,  wriggling  along  on  their 
hands  and  knees.  They  were  awaiting  the 
slaughter,  when  there  would  be  fresh  meat  in 
abundance. 

At  length  the  old  elephant  ^hunter  decided 
that  they  were  near  enough  to  chance  some 
shots.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  Tom  Swift,  with  his 
dectric  rifle,  had  been  within  range  some  time 
,  before,  but  as  he  did  not  want  to  spoil  the  sport 
for  the  others,  by  firing  and  killing,  and  so 
alarming  the  herd,  he  had  held  back.  Now  they 
could  all  shoot  together. 

"Let  her  go!"  suddenly  cried  Mr.  Durban,  and 
they  took  aim. 

There  was  a  fusillade  of  reports  and  several  of 
the  big  brutes  toppled  over. 


136     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

"Bless  my  toothbrush!"  cried  Mr.  Damon, 
"that's  the  time  I  got  one!" 

"Yes,  and  a  fine  specimen,  too!"  added  Mr. 
Durban,  who  had  only  succeeded  in  downing  a 
small  bull,  with  an  indifferent  pair  of  tusks.    "A  f 
fine  speciment,  Mr.  Damon,  I  congratulate  you !" 

As  for  Tom  Swift,  he  had  killed  two  of  the 
largest  elephants  in  the  herd. 

But  now  the  hunters  had  their  work  cut  out 
for  them,  since  the  beasts  had  taken  fright  and 
were  charging  away  at  what  seemed  an  awkward 
gait,  but  which,  nevertheless,  took  them  rapidly 
over  the  ground. 

"Come  on!"  cried  Mr.  Durban.  "We  must 
get  some  more.  Some  of  the  finest  tusks  I  have 
ever  seen  are  running  away  from  us!" 

He  began  to  race  after  the  retreating  herd, 
but  it  is  doubtful  if  he  would  have  caught  up  to 
them  had  not  a  band  of  natives,  who  had  crept 
up  and  surrounded  the  beasts,  turned  them  by 
shouts  and  the  beating  of  tom-toms.  Seeing 
an  enemy  in  front  of  them,  the  elephants  turned, 
and  our  friends  were  able  to  get  in  several  more 
shots.  Tom  Swift  picked  out  only  those  with 
immense  tusks,  and  soon,  had  several  to  his 
credit.  Ned  Newton  also  bagged  some  prizes. 

But  finally  the  elephants,  driven  to  madness 
by  the  firing  and  the  yells  of  the  natives,  broke 


SHOTS  FROM  ABOVE  137 

through  the  line  of  black  men,  and  charged  off 
into  the  jungle,  where  it  was  not  only  useless 
but  dangerous  to  follow  them. 

"Well,  we  have  enough,"  said  Mr.  Durban, 
•and  when  the  tusks  had  been  collected  it  was 
found  that  indeed  a  magnificent  and  valuable 
supply  had  been  gathered. 

"But  I  have  yet  to  get  my  prize  ones,"  said 
the  old  hunter  with  a  sigh.  "Maybe  we'll  find 
the  elephant  with  them  when  we  locate  the  red 
pygmies." 

"If  we  do,  we'll  have  our  work  cut  out  for  us," 
declared  Tom. 

As  on  the  other  occasion  after  the  hunt,  there 
was  a  great  feast  for  the  natives,  who  invited 
tribes  from  miles  around,  and  for  two  days,  while 
the  tusks  were  being  cut  out  and  cleaned,  there 
were  barbecues  on  every  side. 

It  was  one  afternoon,  when  they  were  seated 
in  the  shade  of  the  airship,  cleaning  their  guns, 
and  discussing  the  plans  they  had  best  follow 
next,  that  our  travelers  suddenly  heard  a  great 
commotion  among  the  Africans,  who  had  for 
the  past  hour  been  very  quiet,  most  of  them 
sleeping  after  the  feasts.  They  yelled  and 
shouted,  and  began  to  beat  their  drums. 

"Something  is  coming,"  said  Ned. 


I38     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

"Perhaps  there's  going  to  be  a  fight,"  sug- 
gested Tom. 

"Maybe  it's  the  red  pygmies,"  said  Mr. 
Damon.  "Bless  my " 

But  what  he  was  going  to  bless  he  did  not 
say,  for  at  that  instant  it  seemed  as  if  every  na- 
tive in  sight  suddenly  disappeared,  almost  like 
magic.  They  sank  down  into  the  grass,  darted 
into  their  huts,  or  hid  in  the  tall  grass. 

"What  can  it  be?"  cried  Tom,  as  he  looked 
to  see  that  his  rifle  was  in  working  order. 

"Some  enemy,"  declared  Mr.  Anderson. 

"There  they  are!"  cried  Ned  Newton,  and  as 
he  spoke  there  burst  into  view,  coming  from  the 
tall  grass  that  covered  the  plain  about  the  vik 
lage,  a  herd  of  savage,  wild  buffaloes.  On  rushed 
the  shaggy  creatures,  their  long,  sharp  horns 
seeming  like  waving  spears  as  they  advanced. 

"Here's  more  sport!"  cried  Tom. 

"No!  Not  sport!  Danger!"  yelled  Mr.  Dur- 
ban. "They're  headed  right  for  us!" 

"Then  we'll  stop  them,"  declared  the  young 
inventor,  as  he  raised  his  gun. 

"No!  No!"  begged  the  old  hunter.  "It's  as 
much  as  our  lives  are  worth  to  try  to  stop  a  rush 
of  wild  buffaloes.  You  couldn't  do  it  with 
Catling  guns.  We  can  kill  a  few,  but  the  rest 


SHOTS  FROM  ABOVE  139 

won't  stop  until  they've  finished  us  and  the  aero- 
plane too." 

"Then  what's  to  be  done?"  demanded  Mr. 
Anderson. 

"Get  into  the  airship!"  cried  Mr.  Durban. 
"Send  her  up.  It's  the  only  way  to  get  out  of 
their  path.  Then  we  can  shoot  them  from  above, 
and  drive  them  away !" 

Quickly  the  adventurers  leaped  into  the  craft. 
On  thundered  the  buffaloes.  Tom  feared  he  could 
not  get  the  motor  started  quickly  enough.  He 
did  not  dare  risk  rising  by  means  of  the  aero- 
plane feature,  but  at  once  started  the  gas 
machine. 

The  big  bag  began  to  fill.  Nearer  came  the 
wild  creatures,  thundering  over  the  ground, 
snorting  and  bellowing  with  rage. 

"Quick,  Tom !"  yelled  Ned,  and  at  that  instant 
the  Black  Hazvk  shot  upward,  just  as  the  fore- 
most of  the  buffaloes  passed  underneath^  vainly 
endeavoring  to  gore  the  craft  with  their  sweep- 
ing horns.  The  air-travelers  had  risen  just 
in  time. 

"Now  it's  our  turn!"  shouted  Ned,  as  he  be- 
gan firing  from  above  into  the  herd  of  infuriated 
animals  below  him.  Tom,  after  seeing  that  the 
motor  was  working  well,  sent  the  airship 
circling  about,  while,  standing  in  the  steering 


I4o    TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

tower,  he  guided  his  craft  here  and  there,  mean- 
while pouring  a  fusillade  of  his  wireless  bullets 
into  the  buffaloes.  Many  of  them  dropped  in 
their  tracks,  but  the  big  herd  continued  to  rush 
here  and  there,  crashing  into  the  frail  native 
huts,  tearing  them  down,  and,  whenever  a  black 
man  appeared,  chasing  after  him  infuriatedly. 

"Keep  at  it!"  cried  Mr.  Durban,  as  he  poured 
more  lead  into  the  buffaloes.  "If  we  don't  kill 
enough  of  them,  and  drive  the  others  away, 
there  won't  be  anything  left  of  this  village." 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

NEWS  OF  THE  RED  PYGMIES 

SELDOM  had  it  been  the  lot  of  Tom  and  his 
companions  to  take  part  in  such  a  novel  hunting 
scene  as  that  in  which  they  were  now  partici- 
pating. With  the  airship  moving  quickly  about, 
darting  here  and  there  under  the  guidance  of  the 
young  inventor,  the  erratic  movements  hither  and 
thither  of  the  buffaloes  could  be  followed  exactly. 
Wherever  the  mass  of  the  herd  went  the  airship 
hovered  over  them. 

"Want  any  help,  Tom?"  called  Ned,  who  was 
firing  as  fast  as  his  gun  could  be  worked. 

"I  guess  not,"  answered  the  steersman  of  the 
Black  Hawk,  who  was  dividing  his  attention  be- 
tween managing  the  craft  and  firing  his  electric 
rifle. 

The  others,  too,  were  kept  busy  with  their 
weapons,  shooting  down  on  the  infuriated  ani- 
mals. It  seemed  like  a  needless  slaughter,  but 
it  was  not.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  white  men, 

141 


I42     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

the  native  village,  which  consisted  of  only  frail 

huts,  would  have  been  completely  wiped  out  by 

the  animals.    As  it  was  they  were  kept  "milling" 

.  about  in  a  circle  in  an  open  space,  just  as  stan> 

,•  peded   cattle  on   the   western   ranges   are   kept 

from  getting  away,  by  being  forced  round  and 

round. 

Not  a  native  was  in  sight,  all  being  hidden 
away  in  the  jungle  or  dense  grass.  The  white 
hunters  in  their  airship  had  matters  to  them- 
selves. 

At  last  the  firing  proved  even  too  much  for 
the  buffaloes  which,  as  we  have  said,  are  among 
the  most  dreaded  of  African  beasts.  With  bel- 
lows of  fear,  the  leading  bulls  of  the  herd  unable 
to  find  the  enemy  above  their  heads,  darted  off 
into  the  forest  the  way  they  had  come. 

"There  they  go!"  yelled  Mr.  Durban. 

"Yes,  and  I'm  glad  to  see  the  last  of  them," 
added  Mr.  Anderson,  with  a  breath  of  relief. 

"Score  another  victory  for  the  electric  rifle," 
e.xclaimed  Ned. 

"Oh,  you  did  as  much  execution  as  I  did," 
declared  the  inventor  of  the  weapon. 

"Bless  my  ramrod!"  cried  Mr.  Damon.  "I 
never  shot  so  much  in  all  my  life  before." 

"Yes,  there  is  enough  food  to  last  the  natives 
for  a  week,"  observed  Mr.  Durban,  as  Tom 


NEWS  OF  THE  RED  PYGMIES  143 

adjusted  the  deflecting  rudder  to  send  the  air- 
ship down. 

"It  won't  last  much  longer  at  the  rate  they 
feat,"  spoke  the  young  inventor  with  a  laugh.  "I 
never  saw  such  fellows  for  appetites!  They 
seem  to  eat  in  their  sleep." 

There  were  many  dead  buffaloes,  but  there  was 
no  fear  that  the  meat,  which  was  much  prized 
by  the  Africans,  would  be  wasted.  Already  the 
natives  were  coming  from  their  hiding  places, 
knowing  that  the  danger  was  over.  Once  more 
they  sang  the  praises  of  the  mighty  white  hunt- 
ers, and  the  magical  air  craft  in  which  they 
moved  about. 

With  the  elephants  previously  killed,  the  buf- 
faloes provided  material  for  a  great  feast,  prepar- 
ations for  which  were  at  once  gotten  under  way, 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  blacks  had  hardly 
stopped  eating  since  the  big  hunt  began.  But  it 
Was  about  all  they  had  to  do. 

Some  of  the  buffaloes  were  very  large,  and 
there  were  a  number  of  pairs  of  fine  horns.  Tom 
and  Ned  had  some  of  the  blacks  cut  them  off 
for  trophies,  and  they  were  stored  in  the  airship 
together  with  the  ivory. 

Becoming  rather  tired  of  seeing  so  much 
feasting,  our  friends  bade  the  Africans  farewell 
the  next  day,  and  once  more  resumed  their 


144    TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

quest.  They  navigated  through  the  air  for  an- 
other week,  stopping  at  several  villages,  and  scan- 
ning the  jungles  and  plains  by  means  of  powerful 
telescopes,  for  a  sight  of  the  red  pygmies.  They 
also  asked  for  news  of  the  sacking  of  the  mis- 
sionary settlement,  but,  beyond  meager  facts, 
could  learn  nothing. 

"Well,  we've  got  to  keep  on,  that's  all,"  de- 
cided Mr.  Durban.  "We  may  find  them  most 
unexpectedly." 

"I'm  sorry  if  I  have  taken  you  away  from  your 
work  of  gathering  ivory,"  spoke  Mr.  Anderson. 
"Perhaps  you  had  better  let  me  go,  and  I'll  see 
if  I  can't  organize  a  band  of  friendly  blacks,  and 
search  for  the  red  dwarfs  myself." 

"Not  much!"  exclaimed  Tom  warmly.  "I 
said  we'd  help  rescue  those  missionaries,  and 
we'll  doit,  too!" 

"Of  course,"  declared  the  old  elephant  hunter. 
"We  have  quite  a  lot  of  ivory,  and,  while  we 
need  more  to  make  it  pay  well,  we  can  look  for 
it  after  we  rescue  the  missionaries  as  well  as  be- 
fore. Perhaps  there  will  be  a  lot  of  elephants  in 
the  pygmies'  land." 

"I  was  only  thinking  that  we  can't  go  on  for- 
ever in  the  airship,"  said  Mr.  Anderson.  "You'll 
have  to  go  back  to  civilization  soon,  won't  you, 
Tom,  to  get  gasolene?" 


NEWS  OF  THE  RED  PYGMIES  145 

"No,  we  have  enough  for  at  least  a  month/' 
answered  the  young  inventor.  "I  took  aboard 
nn  unusually  large  supply  when  we  started." 

"What  would  happen  if  we  ran  out  of  it  in  the 
jungle?"  asked  Ned. 

"Bless  my  pocketbook!  What  an  unpleasant 
question  I"  exclaimed  Mr.  Damon.  "You  are 
almost  as  cheerful,  Ned,  as  was  my  friend  Mr. 
Parker,  the  gloomy  scientist,  who  was  always 
predicting  dire  happenings." 

"Well,  I  was  only  wondering,"  said  Ned,  who 
was  a  little  abashed  by  the  manner  in  which  his 
inquiry  was  received. 

"Oh,  it  would  be  all  right,"  declared  Tom. 
"We  would  simply  become  a  balloon,  and  in 
time  the  wind  would  blow  us  to  some  white 
settlement.  There  is  plenty  of  material  for 
making  the  lifting  gas." 

This  was  reassuring,  and,  somewhat  easier  in 
mind,  Ned  took  his  place  in  the  observation 
tower,  and  looked  down  on  the  jungle  over 
which  they  were  passing. 

It  was  3.  dense  forest.  At  times  there  could 
be  seen,  in  the  little  clearings,  animals  darting 
along.  There  were  numbers  of  monkeys,  an 
occasional  herd  of  buffaloes  were  observed,  some- 
times a  solitary  stray  elephant  was  noted,  and 


146     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

as  for  birds,  there  were  thousands  of  them.  It 
was  like  living  over  a  circus,  Ned  declared. 

They  had  descended  one  day  just  outside  a 
large  native  village  to  make  inquiries  about 
elephants  and  the  red  pygmies.  Of  the  big 
beasts  no  signs  had  been  seen  in  several  months, 
the  hunters  of  the  tribe  told  Mr.  Durban.  And 
concerning  the  red  pygmies,  the  blacks  seemed 
indisposed  to  talk. 

Tom  and  the  others  could  not  understand  this, 
until  a  witch-doctor,  whom  the  elephant  hunter 
had  met  some  time  ago,  when  he  was  on  a 
previous  expedition,  told  him  that  the  tribe  had 
a  superstitious  fear  of  speaking  of  the  little  men. 

"They  may  be  around  us — in  the  forest  or 
jungle  at  any  minute/'  the  witch-doctor  said. 
"We  never  speak  of  them." 

"Say,  do  you  suppose  that  can  be  a  clew?" 
asked  Tom  eagerly.  "They  may  be  nearer  at 
hand  than  we  think." 

"It's  possible,"  admitted  the  hunter.  "Sup- 
pose we  stay  here  for  a  few  days,  and  I'll  see  if 
I  can't  get  some  of  the  natives  to  go  off  scout- 
ing in  the  woods,  and  locate  them,  or  at  least 
put  us  on  the  trail  of  the  red  dwarfs." 

This  was  considered  good  advice,  and  it  was 
decided  to  adopt  it.  Accordingly  the  airship 
was  put  in  a  safe  place,  and  our  friends  prepared 


NEWS  OF  THE  RED  PYGMIES  147 

to  spend  a  week,  if  necessary,  in  the  native  vil- 
lage. Their  presence  with  the  wonderful  craft 
was  a  source  of  wonder,  and  by  means  of  some 
trinkets  judiciously  given  to  the  native  king,  and 
also  to  his  head  subjects,  and  to  the  witch-doctors 
(who  were  a  power  in  the  land),  the  good 
opinion  of  the  tribe  was  won.  Then,  by  promis- 
ing rewards  to  some  of  the  bolder  hunters,  Mr. 
Durban  finally  succeeded  in  getting  them  to  go 
off  scouting  in  the  jungle  for  a  clew  to  the  red 
pygmies. 

"Now  we'll  have  to  wait,"  said  Mr.  Anderson, 
"and  I  hope  we  get  good  news." 

Our  friends  spent  their  time  observing  some 
of  the  curious  customs  of  the  natives,  and  in 
witnessing  some  odd  dances  gotten  up  in  their 
honor.  They  also  went  hunting,  and  got  plenty 
of  game,  for  which  their  hosts  were  duly  grate- 
ful. Tom  did  some  night  stalking  and  found  his 
illuminating  bullets  a  great  success. 

One   hot   afternoon   Tom   and    Mr.    Damon 
strolled  off  a  little  way  into  the  jungle,  Tom 
with  his  electric  weapon,  in  case  he  saw  any, 
'game.    But  no  animals  save  a  few  big  monkeys  » 
were  to  be  seen,  and  the  young  inventor  scorned 
to  kill  them.    It  seemed  too  much  like  firing  at 
a  human  being   he   said,   though   the   natives 
stated  that  some  of  the  baboons  and  apes  were 


148     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

fierce,  and  would  attack  one  on  the  slightest 
provocation. 

"I  believe  I'll  sit  down  here  and  rest,"  said 
Tom,  after  a  mile's  tramp,  as  he  came  to  a  little 
clearing  in  the  woods. 

''Very  well,  I'll  go  on/'  decided  Mr.  Damon. 
"Mr.  Durban  said  there  were  sometimes  rare 
orchids  in  these  jungles,  and  I  am  very  fond  of 
those  odd  flowers.  I'm  going  to  see  if  I  can 
get  any." 

He  disappeared  behind  a  fringe  of  moss- 
grown  trees,  and  Tom  sat  down,  with  his  rifle 
.across  his  knees.  He  was  thinking  of  many 
things,  but  chiefly  of  what  yet  lay  before  them 
— the  discovery  of  the  red  dwarfs  and  the  pos- 
sible rescue  of  the  missionaries. 

He  might  have  been  thus  day-dreaming  for 
perhaps  a  half  hour,  when  he  suddenly  heard  a 
great  commotion  in  the  jungle,  in  the  direction 
in  which  Mr.  Damon  had  vanished.  It  sounded 
as  though  some  one  was  running  rapidly.  Then 
came  the  report  of  the  odd  man's  gun. 

"He's  seen  some  game!"  exclaimed  Tom, 
jumping  up,  and  preparing  to  follow  his  friend. 
But  he  did  not  have  the  chance.  An  instant 
later  Mr.  Damon  burst  through  the  bushes  with 
-every  appearance  of  fright,  his  gun  held  above 


NEWS  OF  THE  RED  PYGMIES  149 

his  head  with  one  hand,  and  his  pith  helmet 
swaying  to  and  fro  in  the  other. 

"They're  coming!"  he  cried  to  Tom. 

"Who,  the  red  pygmies?" 

"No,  but  a  couple  of  rhinoceroses  are  after  me. 
I  wounded  one,  and  he  and  his  mate  are  right 
behind.  Don't  let  them  catch  me,  Tom!" 

Mr.  Damon  was  very  much  alarmed,  and 
there  was  good  occasion  for  it,  as  Tom  saw  a 
moment  later,  for  two  fierce  rhinoceroses  burst 
out  of  the  jungle  almost  on  the  heels  of  the  flee- 
ing man. 

Thought  was  not  quicker  than  Tom  Swift. 
He  raised  his  deadly  rifle,  and  pressed  the  but- 
ton. A  charge  of  wireless  electricity  shot 
toward  the  foremost  animal,  and  it  was  dropped 
in  its  tracks.  The  other  came  on  woofing  and 
snorting  with  rage.  It  was  the  one  Mr.  Damon 
had  slightly  wounded. 

"Come  on!"  yelled  the  young  inventor,  for  his 
friend  was  in  front  of  the  beast,  and  in  range 
with  the  rifle.  "Jump  to  one  side,  Mr.  Damon." 

Mr.  Damon  tried,  but  his  foot  slipped,  and 
there  was  no  need  for  jumping.  He  fell  and 
rolled  over.  The  rhinoceros  swerved  toward 
him,  with  the  probable  intention  of  goring  the 
prostrate  man  with  the  formidable  horn,  but  it 
had  no  chance.  Once  more  the  young  inventor 


150     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

fired,  this  time  with  a  heavier  charge,  and  the 
animal  instantly  toppled  over  dead. 

"Are  you  hurt?"  asked  Tom  anxiously,  as  he 
ran  to  his  friend.  Mr.  Damon  got  up  slowly. 
He  felt  all  over  himself,  and  then  answered: 

"No,  Tom,  I  guess  I'm  not  hurt,  except  in 
my  dignity.  Never  again  will  I  fire  at  a  sleeping 
rhinoceros  unless  you  are  with  me.  I  had  a 
narrow  escape,"  and  he  shook  Tom's  hand 
heartily. 

"Did  you  see  any  orchids?"  asked  the  lad  with 
a  smile. 

"No,  those  beasts  didn't  give  me  a  chance! 
Bless  my  tape  measure!  but  they're  big  fellows!" 

Indeed  they  were  fine  specimens,  and  there 
was  the  usual  rejoicing  among  the  natives  when 
they  brought  in  the  great  bodies,  pulling  them  to 
the  village  with  ropes  made  of  vines. 

After  this  Mr.  Damon  was  careful  not  to  go 
into  the  jungle  alone,  nor,  in  fact,  did  any  of  our 
friends  so  venture.  Mr.  Durban  said  it  was 
not  safe. 

They  remained  a  full  week  in  the  native  vil- 
lage,  and  received  no  news.  In  fact,  all  but  one 
of  the  hunters  came  back  to  report  that  there 
was  no  sign  of  the  red  pygmies  in  that 
neighborhood. 

"Well,  I  guess  we  might  as  well  move  on,  and 


NEWS  OF  THE  RED  PYGMIES  151 

see  what  we  can  do  ourselves,"  said  Mr.  Durban. 

"Let's  wait  until  the  last  hunter  comes  back," 
suggested  Tom.  "He  may  bring  word." 

"Some  of  his  friends  think  he'll  never  come 
back,"  remarked  Mr.  Anderson. 

"Why  not?"  asked  Ned. 

"They  think  he  has  been  killed  by  some  wild 
beast." 

But  this  fear  was  ungrounded.  It  was  on  the 
second  day  after  the  killing  of  the  rhinoceroses 
that,  as  Tom  was  tinkering  away  in  the  engine- 
room  of  the  airship,  and  thinking  that  perhaps 
they  had  better  get  under  way,  that  a  loud 
shouting  was  heard  among  the  natives. 

"I  wonder  what's  up  now?"  mused  the  young 
inventor  as  he  went  outside.  He  saw  Mr.  Dur- 
ban and  Mr.  Anderson  running  toward  the  ship. 
Behind  them  was  a  throng  of  blacks,  led  by  a 
weary  man  whom  Tom  recognized  as  the  miss- 
ing hunter.  The  lad's  heart  beat  high  with  hope. 
Did  the  African  bring  news? 

On  came  Mr.  Durban,  waving  his  hands 
to  Tom. 

"We've  located  'em!"  he  shouted. 

"Not  the  red  pygmies?"  asked  Tom  eagerly. 

"Yes;  this  hunter  has  news  of  them.  He  has 
been  to  the  border  of  their  country,  and  nar- 
rowly escaped  capture.  Then  he  was  attacked 


152     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLL 

by  a  lion,  and  slightly  wounded.     But,  Tom, 
now  we  can  get  on  the  trail!" 

"Good!"  cried  the  young  inventor.  "That's 
fine  news !"  and  he  rejoiced  that  once  more  there 
would  be  activity,  for  he  was  tired  of  remaining 
in  the  African  camp,  and  then,  too,  he  wanted 
to  proceed  to  tne  rescue.  Already  it  might  be 
too  late  to  save  the  unfortunate  missionaries. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

AN  APPEAL  FOR  HELP 

THE  African  hunter's  story  was  soon  told.  He 
had  gone  on  farther  than  had  any  of  his  com- 
panions, and,  being  a  bold  and  brave  man,  had 
penetrated  into  the  very  fastness  of  the  jungle 
where  few  would  dare  to  venture. 

But  even  he  had  despaired  of  getting  on  the 
trail  of  the  fierce  little  red  men,  until  one  after- 
noon, just  at  dusk  he  had  heard  voices  in  the 
forest.  Crouching  behind  a  fallen  tree,  he  waited 
and  saw  passing  by  some  of  the  pygmy  hunters, 
armed  with  bows  and  arrows,  and  blowguns. 
They  had  been  out  after  game.  Cautiously  the 
hunter  followed  them,  until  he  located  one  of 
^  their  odd  villages,  which  consisted  of  little  mud 
huts,  pooriy  made. 

The  black  hunter  remained  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  pygmies  all  that  night,  and  was  almost  caught, 
for  some  wild  dogs  which  hung  around  the  vil- 
lage smelled  him  out,  and  attracted  to  him  the  at- 
153 


154 


TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 


tention  of  the  dwarf  savages.  The  hunter  took  to 
a  tree,  and  so  escaped.  Then,  carefully  marking 
the  trail,  he  came  away  in  the  morning.  When 
near  home,  a  lion  had  attacked  him,  but  he  speared 
the  beast  to  death,  after  a  hand-to-hand  struggle 
in  which  his  leg  was  torn. 

"And  do  you  think  we  can  find  the  place?" 
asked  Ned,  when  Mr.  Durban  had  finished  trans- 
lating the  hunter's  story. 

"I  think  so,"  was  the  reply. 

"But  is  this  the  settlement  where  the  mission- 
aries are?"  asked  Tom  anxiously. 

"That  is  what  we  don't  know,"  said  Mr.  An* 
derson.  "The  native  scout  could  not  learn  that. 
But  once  we  get  on  the  trail  of  the  dwarfs,  I  think 
we  can  easily  find  the  particular  tribe  which  has 
the  captives." 

"At  any  rate,  we'll  get  started  and  do  some- 
thing," declared  Tom,  and  the  next  day,  after 
the  African  hunter  had  described,  as  well  as  he 
could,  where  the  place  was,  the  Black  Hawk  was 
sent  up  into  the  air,  good-bys  were  called  down, 
and  once  more  the  adventurers  were  under  way.  , 

It  was  decided  that  they  had  better  proceed 
cautiously,  and  lower  the  airship,  and  anchor  it, 
sometime  before  getting  above  the  place  where 
the  pygmy  village  was. 

"For  they  may  see  us,  and,  though  they  don't 


AN  APPEAL  FOR  HELP  155 

know  what  our  craft  is,  they  may  take  the  alarm 
and  hide  deeper  in  the  jungle  with  the  prisoners, 
where  we  can't  find  them,"  said  Tom. 

His  plan  was  adopted,  and,  while  it  had  taken 
the  native  hunter  several  days  to  reach  the  borders 
of  the  dwarfs'  land,  those  in  the  airship  made  the 
trip  in  one  day.  That  is,  they  came  as  far  toward 
it  as  they  thought  would  be  safe,  and  one  night, 
having  located  a  landmark  which  Mr.  Durban 
said  was  on  the  border,  the  nose  of  the  Black 
Hawk  was  pointed  downward,  and  soon  they 
were  encamped  in  a  little  clearing  in  the  midst  of 
the  dense  jungle  which  was  all  about  them. 

With  his  electric  rifle,  Tom  noiselessly  killed 
some  birds,  very  much  like  chicken,  of  which  an 
excellent  meal  was  made  and  then,  as  it  became 
dark  very  early,  and  as  nothing  could  be  done, 
they  lighted  a  campfire,  and  retired  inside  their 
craft  to  pass  the  night. 

It  must  have  been  about  midnight  that  Tom, 
who  was  a  light  sleeper  at  times,  was  awakened 
by  some  noise  outside  the  window  near  which  his 
stateroom  was.  He  sat  up  and  listened,  putting 
out  his  hand  to  where  his  rifle  stood  in  the  corner 
near  his  bunk.  The  lad  heard  stealthy  footsteps 
pattering  about  on  the  deck  of  the  airship.  There 
was  a  soft,  shuffling  sound,  such  as  a  lion  or  a 
tiger  makes,  when  walking  on  bare  boards.  In 


156     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

spite  of  himself,  Tom  felt  the  hair  on  his  head 
beginning  to  creep,  and  a  shiver  ran  down  his 
back. 

"There's  something  out  there !"  he  whispered. 
"I  wonder  if  I'd  better  awaken  the  others?  No, 
if  it's  a  sneaking  lion,  I  can  manage  to  kill  him, 
but " 

He  paused  as  another  suggestion  came  to  him. 

The  red  pygmies !  They  went  barefoot !  Per- 
haps they  were  swarming  about  the  ship  which 
they  might  have  discovered  in  the  darkness. 

Tom  Swift's  heart  beat  rapidly.  He  got  softly 
out  of  his  bunk,  and,  with  his  rifle  in  hand  made 
his  way  to  the  door  opening  on  deck.  On  his  way 
he  gently  awakened  Ned  and  Mr.  Durban,  and 
whispered  to  them  his  fear. 

"If  the  red  pygmies  are  out  there  we'll  need 
all  our  force,"  said  the  old  elephant  hunter.  "Call 
Mr.  Damon  and  Mr.  Anderson,  Ned,  and  tell  them 
to  bring  their  guns." 

Soon  they  were  all  ready,  fully  armed.  They 
listened  intently.  The  airship  was  all  in  darkness, 
for  lights  drew  a  horde  of  insects.  The  camp- 
fire  had  died  down.  The  soft  footsteps  could  still 
be  heard  moving  about  the  deck. 

"That  sounds  like  only  one  person  or  animal/* 
whispered  Ned 

"It  does,"  agreed  Tom.     "Wait  a  minute,  I'll 


AN  APPEAL  FOR  HELP  157 

fire  an  illuminating  charge,  and  we  can  see  what 
it  is." 

The  others  posted  themselves  at  windows  that 
gave  a  view  of  the  deck.  Tom  poked  his  electric 
rifle  out  of  a  crack  of  the  door,  and  shot  forth 
into  the  darkness  one  of  the  blue  illuminations. 
The  deck  of  the  craft  was  instantly  lighted  up 
brilliantly,  and  in  the  glare,  crouched  on  the  deck, 
could  be  seen  a  powerful  black  man,  nearly  naked, 
gazing  at  the  hunters. 

"A  black!"  gasped  Tom,  as  the  light  died  out. 
"Maybe  it  is  one  from  the  village  we  just  left. 
What  do  you  want?  Who  are  you?"  called  the 
lad,  forgetting  that  the  Africans  spoke  only  their 
own  language.  To  the  surprise  of  all,  there  came 
this  reply  in  broken  English  : 

"Me  Tomba !  Me  go  fo'  help  for  Missy  Illing- 
way — fo'  Massy  Illingway.  Me  run  away  from 
little  red  men !  Me  Christian  black  man.  Oh,  if 
you  be  English,  help  Missy  Illingway — she  most 
die !  Please  help.  Tomba  go  but  Tomba  be  lost ! 
Please  help!" 


CHAPTER    XX 

THE  FIGHT 

SURPRISE,  for  the  moment,  held  Tom  and  the 
others  speechless.  To  be  answered  in  English, 
poor  and  broken  as  it  was,  by  a  native  African, 
was  strange  enough,  but  when  this  same  African 
was  found  aboard  the  airship,  in  the  midst  of 
the  jungle,  at  midnight,  it  almost  passed  the 
bounds  of  possibility. 

"Tomba!"  mused  Tom,  wondering  where  he 
had  heard  that  name  before.  "Tomba?" 

"Of  course!"  cried  Mr.  Anderson,  suddenly. 
"Don't  you  remember?  That's  the  name  of  the 
servant  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Illingway,  who  escaped 
and  brought  news  of  their  capture  by  the  pyg- 
mies. That's  who  Tomba  is." 

"Yes,  but  Tomba  escaped,"  objected  Mr.  Dur- 
ban. "He  went  to  the  white  settlements  with  the 
news.  How  comes  he  here?" 

"We'll  have  to  find  out,"  said  Tom,  simply. 
"Tomba,  are  you  there  ?"  he  called,  as  he  fired  an- 

158 


THE  FIGHT  159 

other  illuminating  charge.  It  disclosed  the  black 
man  standing  up  on  the  deck,  and  looking  at 
them  appealingly. 

"Yes,  Tomba  here,"  was  the  answer.  "Oh, 
you  be  English,  Tomba  know.  Please  help  Missy 
and  Massy  Illingway.  Red  devils  goin'  kill  'em 
pretty  much  quick." 

"Come  in!"  called  Tom,  as  he  turned  on  the 
electric  lights  in  the  airship.  "Come  in  and  tell 
us  all  about  it.  But  how  did  you  get  here?" 

"Maybe  there  are  two  Tombas,"  suggested 
Ned. 

"Bless  my  safety  razor!"  cried  Mr.  Damon, 
"perhaps  Ned  is  right !" 

But  he  wasn't,  as  they  learned  when  they  had 
questioned  the  African,  who  came  inside  the  air- 
ship, looking  wonderingly  around  at  the  many 
strange  things  he  saw.  He  was  the  same  Tomba 
who  had  escaped  the  massacre,  and  had  taken 
news  of  the  capture  of  his  master  and  mistress 
to  the  white  settlement.  In  vain  after  that  he 
had  tried  to  organize  a  band  to  go  back  with  him 
to  the  rescue,  but  the  whites  in  the  settlement 
were  too  few,  and  the  natives  too  timid.  Then 
Tomba,  with  grief  in  his  heart,  and  not  wanting" 
to  live  while  the  missionaries  whom  he  had  come 
to  care  for  very  much,  were  captives,  he  went 
back  into  the  jungle,  determined,  if  he  could  not 


160     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

help  them,'  that  at  least  he  would  share  their  fate, 
and  endeavor  to  be  of  some  service  to  them  in 
their  captivity. 

,  After  almost  unbelievable  hardships,  he  had 
found  the  red  pygmies,  and  had  allowed  himself 
to  be  captured  by  them.  They  rejoiced  greatly 
in  the  possession  of  the  big  black  man,  and  for 
some  strange  reason  had  not  killed  him.  He 
was  allowed  to  share  the  captivity  of  his  master 
and  mistress. 

Time  went  on,  and  the  pygmies  did  not  kill 
their  prisoners.  They  even  treated  them  with 
some  kindness  but  were  going  to  sacrifice  them 
at  their  great  annual  festival,  which  was  soon  to 
take  place.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Illingway,  Tomba  told 
our  friends  in  his  broken  English,  had  urged  him 
to  escape  at  the  first  opportunity.  They  knew  if 
he  could  get  away  he  could  travel  through  the 
jungle.  They  could  not,  even  if  they  had  not 
been  so  closely  guarded  that  escape  was  out  of 
the  question. 

But  Tomba  refused  to  go  until  Mr.  Illingway 

1  had  said  that  perhaps  he  might  get  word  to  some 
white  hunters,  and  so  send  help  to  the  captives. 
This  Tomba  consented  to  do,  and,  watching  his 
chance,  he  did  escape.  That  was  several  nights 
ago,  and  he  had  been  traveling  through  the  jungle 
ever  since.  It  was  by  mere  accident  that  he  came 


THE  FIGHT  161 

upon  the  anchored  airship,  and  his  curiosity  led 
him  to  board  her.  The  rest  is  known. 

"Well,  of  all  queer  yarns,  this  is  the  limit!" 
exclaimed  Tom,  when  the  black  had  finished. 
"What  had  we  better  do  about  it?" 

"Get  ready  to  attack  the  red  pygmies  at  once !" 
decided  Mr.  Durban.  "If  we  wait  any  longer  it 
may  be  too  late !" 

"My  idea,  exactly,"  declared  Mr.  Anderson. 

"Bless  my  bowie-knife!"  cried  Mr.  Damon. 
"I'd  like  to  get  a  chance  at  the  red  imps !  Come 
on,  Tom !  Let's  start  at  once." 

"No,  we  need  daylight  to  fight  by,"  replied 
Tom,  with  a  smile  at  his  friend's  enthusiasm. 
"We'll  go  forward  in  the  morning." 

"In  the  airship?"  asked  Mr.  Damon. 

"I  think  so,"  answered  Tom.  "There  can  be 
no  advantage  now  in  trying  to  conceal  ourselves. 
We  can  move  upon  them  from  where  we  are  so 
quickly  that  they  won't  have  much  chance  to  get 
away.  Besides  it  will  take  us  too  long  to  make 
our  way  through  the  jungle  afoot.  For,  now  that 
the  escape  of  Tomba  must  be  known,  they  may 
kill  the  captives  at  once  to  forestall  any  rescue." 

"Then  we'll  move  forward  in  the  morning," 
declared  Mr.  Durban. 

They  took  Tomba  with  them  in  the  airship  the 
next  day,  though  he  prayed  fervently  before  he 


162    TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

consented  to  it.  But  they  needed  him  to  point 
out  the  exact  location  of  the  pygmies'  village, 
since  it  was  not  the  one  the  hunter-scout  had 
been  near. 

The  Black  Hawk  sailed  through  the  air.  On 
board  eager  eyes  looked  down  for  a  first  sight 
of  the  red  imps.  Tomba,  who  was  at  Tom's  side 
in  the  steering  tower,  told  him,  as  best  he  could, 
from  time  to  time,  how  to  set  the  rudders. 

"Pretty  soon  by-em-by  be  there,"  said  the  black 
man  at  length.  "Pass  ober  dat  hill,  den  red  devils 
live." 

"Well,  we'll  soon  be  over  that  hill,"  announced 
Tom  grimly.  "I  guess  we'd  better  get  our  rifles 
ready  for  the  battle." 

"Are  you  going  to  attack  them  at  once?"  asked 
Mr.  Damon. 

"Well,"  answered  the  young  inventor,  "I  don't 
believe  we  ought  to  kill  any  of  them  if  we  can 
avoid  it.  I  don't  like  to  do  such  a  thing,  but  per- 
haps we  can't  help  ourselves.  My  plan  is  to  take 
the  airship  down,  close  to  the  hut  where  the  mis- 
sionaries are  confined.  Tomba  can  point  it  out  to 
,  us.  If  we  can  rescue  them  without  bloodshed,  so 
much  the  better.  But  we'll  fight  if  we  have  to." 

Grimly  they  watched  as  the  airship  sailed  over 
the  hill.  Then  suddenly  there  came  into  view  a 
collection  of  mud  huts  on  a  vast  plain,  surrounded 


THE  FIGHT  163 

by  dense  jungle  on  every  side.  As  the  travelers 
looked,  they  could  see  little  creatures  running 
wildly  about.  Even  without  a  glass  it  could  be 
noted  that  their  bodies  were  covered  with  a  curi- 
ous growth  of  thick  sandy  hair. 

"The  red  pygmies !"  cried  Tom.  "Now  for  the 
rescue !" 

Eagerly  Tomba  indicated  the  hut  where  his 
master  and  mistress  were  held.  Telling  his 
friends  to  have  their  weapons  in  readiness,  Tom 
steered  the  airship  toward  the  rude*shelter  whence 
he  hoped  to  take  the  missionaries.  Down  to  the 
ground  swiftly  shot  the  Black  Hazvk.  Tom 
checked  her  with  a  quick  movement  of  the  de- 
flecting rudder,  and  she  landed  gently  on  the 
wheels. 

"Mr.  Illingway!  Mrs.  Illingway!  We  have 
come  to  rescue  you!"  yelled  the  young  inventor, 
as  he  stepped  out  on  the  deck,  with  his  electric 
rifle  in  his  hand.  "Where  are  you?  Can  you 
come  out?" 

The  door  of  the  hut  was  burst  open,  and  a 
white  man  and  woman,  recognizable  as  such, 
even  in  the  rude  skins  that  clothed  them,  rushed 
out.  Wonder  spread  over  their  faces  as  they 
saw  the  great  airship.  They  dropped  on  their 
knees. 

The  next  instant  a  swarm  of  the  savage  little 


164     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

red  men  surrounded  them,  and  rudely  bore  them, 
strugglingly,  back  into  the  hut. 

"Come  on!"  cried  Tom,  about  to  leap  to  the 
ground.  "It's  now  or  never!  We  must  save 
them !" 

Mr.  Durban  pulled  him  back,  and  pointed  to  a 
horde  of  the  red-haired  savages  rushing  toward 
the  airship. 

"They'd  tear  you  to  pieces  in  a  minute !"  cried 
the  old  hunter.  "We  must  fight  them  from  the 
ship!" 

There  was  a  curious  whistling  sound  in  the 
air.  Mr.  Durban  looked  up. 

"Duck,  everybody !"  he  yelled.  "They're  firing 
arrows  at  us!  Get  under  shelter,  for  they  may 
be  poisoned !" 

Tom  and  the  others  darted  into  the  craft. 
The  arrows  rattled  on  deck  in  a  shower,  and 
hundreds  of  the  red  imps  were  rushing  up  to  give 
battle.  Inside  the  hut  where  the  missionaries 
were,  it  was  now  quiet.  Tom  Swift  wondered 
if  they  still  lived. 

"Give  'em  as  good  as  they  send !"  cried  Mr, 
Durban.  "We  will  have  to  fire  at  them  now. 
Open  up  with  your  electric  rifle,  Tom !" 

As  he  spoke  the  elephant  hunter  fired  into  the 
midst  of  the  screaming  savages.  The  battle  had 
begun. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

DRIVEN   BACK 

WHAT  the  travelers  had  heard  regarding  the 
fierceness  and  courage  of  the  red  pygmies  had  not 
been  one  bit  exaggerated.  Never  had  such  des- 
perate righting  ever  taken  place.  The  red  dwarfs, 
scarcely  one  of  whom  was  more  than  three  feet 
high,  were  strongly  built,  and  there  were  so  many 
of  them,  and  they  battled  together  with  such 
singleness  of  purpose,  that  they  were  more  for- 
midable than  a  tribe  of  ordinary-sized  savages 
would  have  been. 

And  their  purpose  was  to  utterly  annihilate 
the  enemy  that  had  so  unexpectedly  come  upon 
them.  It  did  not  matter  to  them  that  Tom  and 
the  others  had  arrived  in  an  airship.  The  strange 
craft  had  no  superstitious  terror  for  them,  as  it 
had  for  the  simpler  blacks. 

"Bless  my  multiplication  tables!"  cried  Mr. 
Damon.  "What  a  mob  of  them!" 

"Almost  too  many!"  murmured  Tom  Swift, 
165 


166     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

who  was  rapidly  firing  his  electric  rifle  at  them. 
"We  can  never  hope  to  drive  them  back,  I'm 
afraid." 

Indeed  from  every  side  of  the  plain,  and  even 
from  the  depths  of  the  jungle  the  red  dwarfs 
were  now  pouring.  They  yelled  most  horribly, 
screaming  in  rage,  brandishing  their  spears  and 
clubs,  and  keeping  up  an  incessant  fire  of  big  ar- 
rows from  their  bows,  and  smaller  ones  from  the 
blowguns. 

As  yet  none  of  our  friends  had  been  hit,  for 
they  were  sheltered  in  the  airship,  and  as  the 
windows  were  covered  with  a  mesh  of  wire,  to 
keep  out  insects,  this  also  served  to  prevent  the 
arrows  from  entering.  There  were  loopholes 
purposely  made  to  allow  the  rifles  to  be  thrust 
out. 

Mercifully,  Tom  and  the  others  fired  only  to 
disable,  and  not  to  kill  the  red  pygmies.  Wounded 
in  the  arms  or  legs,  the  little  savages  would  be  in- 
capable of  fighting,  and  this  plan  was  followed. 
But  so  fierce  were  they  that  some,  who  were 
wounded  twice,  still  kept  up  the  attack. 

Tom's  electric  rifle  was  well  adapted  for  this 
work,  as  he  could  regulate  the  charge  to  merely 
stun,  no  matter  at  what  part  of  the  body  it 
was  directed.  So  he  could  fire  indiscriminately, 
whereas  the  others  had  to  aim  carefully.  And 


DRIVEN  BACK  167 

Tom's  fire  was  most  effective.  He  disabled 
scores  of  the  red  imps,  but  scores  of  others  sprang 
up  to  take  their  places. 

After  their  first  rush  the  pygmies  had  fallen 
back  before  the  well-directed  fire  of  our  friends, 
but  as  their  chiefs  and  head  men  urged  them  to 
the  attack  again,  they  came  back  with  still  fiercer 
energy.  Some,  more  bold  than  the  others,  even 
leaped  to  the  deck  of  the  airship,  and  tried  to  tear 
the  screens  from  the  windows.  They  partly  suc- 
ceeded, and  in  one  casement  from  which  Ned  was 
firing  they  made  a  hole. 

Into  this  they  shot  a  flight  of  arrows,  and  one 
slightly  wounded  the  bank  clerk  on  the  arm.  The 
wound  was  at  once  treated  with  antiseptics,  after 
the  window  had  been  barricaded,  and  Ned  de- 
clared that  he  was  ready  to  renew  the  fight. 
Tom,  too,  got  an  arrow  scratch  on  the  neck,  and 
one  of  the  barbs  entered  Mr.  Durban's  leg,  but 
the  sturdy  elephant  hunter  would  not  give  up, 
and  took  his  place  again  after  the  wound  had 
been  bandaged. 

From  time  to  time,  as  he  worked  his  electric 
gun,  which  had  been  charged  to  its  utmost  ca- 
pacity, Tom  glanced  at  the  hut  where  the  mis- 
sionaries were  prisoners.  There  was  no  move- 
ment noticed  about  it,  and  no  sound  came  from 
it.  Tom  wondered  what  had  happened  inside — 


1'OM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

he  wondered  what  was  happening  as  the  battle 
progressed. 

Fiercely  the  fight  was  kept  up.  Now  the  red 
imps  would  be  driven  back,  and  again  they  would 
swarm  about  the  airship,  until  it  seemed  as  if 
they  must  overwhelm  it.  Then  the  fire  of  the 
white  adventurers  was  redoubled.  The  electric 
rifle  did  great  work,  and  Tom  did  not  have  to 
stop  and  refill  the  magazine,  as  did  the  others. 

Suddenly,  above  the  noise  of  the  conflict,  Tom 
Swift  heard  an  ominous  sound.  It  was  a  hissing 
in  the  air,  and  well  he  knew  what  it  was. 

"The  gas  bag!"  he  cried.  "They've  punctured, 
it !  The  vapor  is  escaping.  If  they  put  too  many 
holes  in  the  bag  it  will  be  all  up  with  us !" 

"What's  to  be  done?"  asked  Mr.  Durban. 

"If  we  can't  drive  them  back  we  must  retreat 
ourselves !"  declared  Tom  desperately.  "Our  only 
hope  is  to  keep  the  airship  safe  from  harm." 

Once  more  came  a  rush  of  the  savages.  They 
had  discovered  that  the  gas  bag  was  vulnerable, 
and  were  directing  their  arrows  against  that.  It 
was  punctured  in  several  more  places.  The  gas 
was  rapidly  escaping. 

"We've  got  to  retreat!"  yelled  Tom.  He  hur- 
ried to  the  engine-room,  and  turned  on  the  power. 
The  great  propellers  revolved,  and  sent  the  Black 
Hawk  scudding  across  the  level  plain.  With 


DRIVEN  BACK  169 

yells  of  surprise  the  red  dwarfs  scattered  and 

made  way  for  it. 

Up  into  the  air  it  mounted  on  the  broad  wings. 
(For  the  time  being  our  friends  had  been  driven 
Jback,  and  the  missionaries  whom  they  had  come  to 

rescue  were  still  in  the  hands  of  the  savages. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

A  NIGHT  ATTACK 

"WELL,  what's  to  be  done?" 

Tom  Swift  asked  that  question. 

"Bless  my  percussion  cap !  They  certainly  are 
the  very  worst  imps  for  fighting  that  I  ever  heard 
of,"  commented  Mr.  Damon  helplessly. 

"Is  the  gas  bag  much  punctured?"  asked  Ned 
Newton. 

"Wait  a  minute,"  resumed  the  young  inventor, 
as  he  pulled  the  speed  lever  a  trifle  farther  over, 
thereby  sending  the  craft  forward  more  swiftly, 
"I  think  my  question  ought  to  be  answered  first. 
What's  to  be  done  ?  Are  we  going  to  run  away, 
and  leave  that  man  and  woman  to  their  fate?" 

"Of  course  not !"  declared  Mr.  Durban  stoutly, 
"but  we  couldn't  stay  there,  and  have  them  de- 
stroy the  airship." 

"No,  that's  so,"  admitted  Tom,  "if  we  lost  the 
airship  it  would  be  all  up  with  us  and  our  chances 
of  rescuing  the  missionaries.  But  what  can  we 
do?  I  hate  to  retreat !" 

170 


A  NIGHT  ATTACK  171 

"But  what  else  is  there  left  for  us?"  de- 
manded Ned. 

"Nothing,  of  course.  But  we've  got  to  plan  to 
get  the  best  of  those  red  pygmies.  We  can't  go 
back  in  the  airship,  and  give  them  open  battle. 
There  are  too  many  of  them,  and,  by  Jove !  I  be- 
lieve more  are  coming  every  minute !" 

Tom  and  the  others  looked  down.  From  all 
sides  of  the  plain,  hastening  toward  the  village  of 
mud  huts,  from  which  our  friends  were  retreat- 
ing, could  be  seen  swarms  of  the  small  but  fierce 
savages.  They  were  coming  from  the  jungle,  and 
were  armed  with  war  clubs,  bows  and  arrows  and 
the  small  but  formidable  blowguns. 

"Where  are  they  coming  from?"  asked  Mr. 
Damon. 

"From  the  surrounding  tribes,"  explained  Mr. 
Durban.  "They  have  been  summoned  to  do  bat- 
tle against  us." 

"But  how  did  the  ones  we  fought  get  word  to 
the  others  so  soon?"  Ned  demanded. 

"Oh,  they  have  ways  of  signaling,"  explained 
Mr.  Anderson.  "They  can  make  the  notes  of 
•  some  of  their  hollow-tree  drums  carry  a  long  dis- 
tance, and  then  they  are  very  swift  runners,  and 
can  penetrate  into  the  jungle  along  paths  that  a 
white  man  would  hardly  see.  They  also  use  the 
smoke  column  as  a  signal,  as  our  own  American 


172     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

Indians  used  to  do.  Oh,  they  can  summon  all 
their  tribesmen  to  the  fight,  and  they  probably 
will.  Likely  the  sound  of  our  guns  attracted  the 
imps,  though  if  we  all  had  electric  rifles  like  Tom's 
they  wouldn't  make  any  noise." 

"Well,  my  rifle  didn't  appear  to  do  so  very 
much  good  this  time,"  observed  the  young  invent- 
or, as  he  stopped  the  forward  motion  of  the  ship 
now,  and  let  it  hover  over  the  plain  in  sight  of 
the  village,  the  gas  bag  serving  to  sustain  the 
craft,  and  there  was  little  wind  to  cause  it  to 
drift.  "Those  fellows  didn't  seem  to  mind  being 
hurt  and  killed  any  more  than  if  mosquitoes  were 
biting  them." 

"The  trouble  is  we  need  a  whole  army,  armed 
with  electric  rifles  to  make  a  successful  attack," 
said  Mr.  Durban.  "There  are  swarms  of  them 
there  now,  and  more  coming  every  minute.  I 
do  hope  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Illingway  are  alive  yet." 

"Yes,"  added  Mr.  Anderson  solemnly,  "we 
must  hope  for  the  best.  But,  like  Tom  Swift,  I 
ask,  what's  to  be  done?" 

"Bless  my  thinking  cap!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Da- 
mon. "It  seems  to  me  if  we  can't  fight  them 
openly  in  the  daytime,  there's  only  one  other 
thing  to  do." 

"What's  that?"  asked  Tom.  "Go  away?  I'll 
not  do  it  P 


A  NIGHT  ATTACK  173 

"No,  not  go  away,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Damon, 
"but  make  a  night  attack.  We  ought  to  be  able 
to  do  something  then,  and  with  your  illuminating 
rifle,  Tom,  we'd  have  an  advantage!  What  do 
you  say?" 

"I  say  it's  the  very  thing !"  declared  Tom,  with 
sudden  enthusiasm.  "We'll  attack  them  to-night, 
when  they're  off  their  guard,  and  we'll  see  if  we 
can't  get  the  missionaries  out  of  that  hut.  And 
to  better  fool  the  savages,  we'll  just  disappear 
now,  and  make  them  believe  we've  flown  away." 

"Then  the  missionaries  will  think  we're  desert- 
ing them,"  objected  Mr.  Anderson. 

But  there  was  no  help  for  it,  and  so  Tom  once 
more  turned  on  the  power  and  the  craft  sailed 
away. 

Tomba,  the  faithful  black,  begged  to  be  al- 
lowed to  go  down,  and  tell  his  master  and  mistress 
that  help  would  soon  be  at  hand  again,  even 
though  it  looked  like  a  retreat  on  the  part  of  the 
rescuers,  but  this  could  not  be  permitted. 

"They'd  tear  you  in  pieces  as  soon  as  you  get 
among  those  red  imps,"  said  Tom.  "You  stay 
here,  Tomba,  and  you  can  help  us  to-night." 

"A'right,  me  glad  help  lick  red  fellows,"  said 
the  black,  with  as  cheerful  a  grin  as  he  could 
summon. 

The  Black  Hawk  circled  around,  with  Tom  and 


174     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

the  others  looking  for  a  good  place  to  land.  They 
were  out  of  sight  of  the  village  now  but  did  not 
doubt  but  that  they  were  observed  by  the  keen 
eyes  of  the  little  men. 

"We  want  to  pick  out  a  place  where  they  won't 
come  upon  us  as  we  descend,"  declared  Tom. 
"We've  got  to  mend  some  leaks  in  the  gas  bag, 
for,  while  they  are  not  serious,  if  we  get  any  more 
punctures  they  may  become  so.  So  we've  got  to 
pick  out  a  good  place  to  go  down." 

Finally,  by  means  of  powerful  glasses,  a  deso- 
late part  of  the  jungle  was  selected.  No  files  of 
the  red  dwarfs,  coming  from  their  scattered  vil- 
lages to  join  their  tribesmen,  had  been  noted  in 
the  vicinity  picked  out,  and  it  was  hoped  that  it 
would  answer.  Slowly  the  airship  settled  to 
earth,  coming  to  rest  in  a  thick  grove  of  trees, 
where  there  was  an  opening  just  large  enough 
to  allow  the  Black  Hawk  to  enter. 

Our  friends  were  soon  busy  repairing  the  leaky 
in  the  bag,  while  Mr.  Damon  got  a  meal  ready. 
As  they  ate  they  talked  over  plans  for  the  night 
attack. 

It  was  decided  to  wait  until  it  was  about  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  as  at  that  hour  the  dwarfs 
were  most  generally  asleep,  Tomba  said.  They 
always  stayed  up  quite  late,  sitting  around  camp- 
fires,  and  eating  the  meat  which  the  hunters 


A  NIGHT  ATTACK  175 

brought  in  each  day.  But  their  carousings  gener- 
ally ended  at  midnight,  the  black  said,  and  then 
they  fell  into  a  heavy  sleep.  They  did  not  post 
guards,  but  since  they  knew  of  the  presence  of  the 
white  men  in  the  airship,  they  might  do  it  this 
time. 

"Well,  we've  got  to  take  our  chance,"  decided 
Tom.  "We'll  start  off  from  here  about  one 
o'clock,  and  I'll  send  the  ship  slowly  along.  We'll 
get  right  over  the  hut  where  the  captives  are,  if 
possible,  and  then  descend.  I'll  manage  the  ship, 
and  one  of  you  can  work  the  electric  rifle  if  they 
attack  us.  We'll  make  a  dash,  get  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Illingway  from  the  hut,  and  make  a  quick  get- 
away." 

It  sounded  good,  and  they  were  impatient  to  put 
it  into  operation.  That  afternoon  Tom  and  his 
friends  went  carefully  over  every  inch  of  their 
craft,  to  repair  it  and  have  it  in  perfect  working 
order.  Guns  were  cleaned,  and  plenty  of  ammu- 
nition laid  out.  Then,  shortly  after  one  o'clock 
in  the  morning  the  ship  was  sent  up,  and  with  the 
searchlight  ready  to  be  turned  on  instantly,  and 
with  his  electric  rifle. near  at  hand,  Tom  Swift 
guided  his  craft  on  to  the  attack.  Soon  they 
could  see  the  glow  of  dying  fires  in  the  dwarfs' 
village,  but  no  sound  came  from  the  sleeping 
hordes  of  red  imps. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

THE  RESCUE 

"CAN  you  make  out  the  hut,  Tom?"  askeJ 
Ned,  as  he  stood  at  his  chum's  side  in  the  steer- 
ing tower,  and  gazed  downward  on  the  silent  vil- 
lage. 

"Not  very  clearly.  Suppose  you  take  a  look 
through  the  night-glasses.  Maybe  you'll  have 
better  luck." 

Ned  peered  long  and  earnestly. 

"No,  I  can't  see  a  thing,"  he  said.  "It  all  looks 
to  be  a  confused  jumble  of  huts.  I  can't  tell  one 
from  the  other.  We'll  have  to  go  lower." 

"I  don't  want  to  do  that,"  objected  Tom.  "If 
this  attack  succeeds  at  all,  it  will  have  to  be  sharp 
and  quick.  If  we  go  down  where  they  can  spot 
us,  and  work  our  way  up  to  the  hut  where  the 
,  captives  are,  we'll  run  the  chance  of  an  attack 
that  may  put  us  out  of  business." 

"Yes,  we  ought  to  get  right  over  the  hut,  and 
then  make  a  sudden  swoop  down,"  admitted  Ned, 

"but  if  we  can't  see  it " 

176 


THE   RESCUE  177 

"I  have  it!"  cried  Tom  suddenly.  "Tomba! 
That  African  can  see  in  the  dark  like  a  cat  Why, 
just  before  we  started  I  dropped  a  wrench,  and  I 
didn't  have  any  matches  handy  to  look  for  it. 
I  was  groping  around  in  the  dark  trying  to  get 
my  hands  on  it,  and  you  know  it  was  pretty  black 
in  the  jungle.  Well,  along  come  Tomba,  and  he 
spotted  it  at  once  and  picked  it  up.  We'll  call 
him  here  and  get  him  to  point  out  the  hut.  He 
can  tell  me  how  to  steer." 

"Good!"  cried  Ned,  and  the  black  was  soon 
standing  in  the  pilot  house.  He  comprehended 
what  was  wanted  of  him,  and  peered  down,  seek- 
ing to  penetrate  the  darkness. 

"Shall  I  go  down  a  little  lower?"  asked  Tom. 

For  a  moment  Tomba  did  not  answer.  Then 
he  uttered  an  exclamation  of  pleasure. 

"Me  see  hut!"  he  said,  clutching  Tom's  arm. 
"Down  dere !"  He  pointed,  but  neither  Tom  nor 
Ned  could  see  it.  However,  as  Tomba  was  now 
giving  directions,  telling  Tom  when  to  go  to  the 
left  or  the  right,  as  the  wind  currents  deflected 
the  airship,  they  were  certain  of  soon  reaching  the 
place  where  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Illingway  were  con- 
cealed, if  they  were  still  alive. 

The  Black  Hawk  was  moving  slowly,  and  was 
not  under  as  good  control  as  if  she  had  been  mak- 
ing ninety  miles  an  hour.  As  it  was  desired  to 


178     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

proceed  as  quietly  as  possible,  the  craft  was  being 
used  as  a  dirigible  balloon,  and  the  propellers 
were  whirled  around  by  means  of  a  small  motor, 
worked  by  a  storage  battery.  While  not  much 
power  was  obtained  this  way,  there  was  the  ad- 
'  vantage  of  silence,  which  was  very  necessary. 

Slowly  the  Black  Hawk  sailed  on  through  the 
night.  In  silence  the  adventurers  waited  for  the 
moment  of  action.  They  had  their  weapons  in 
readiness.  Mr.  Durban  was  to  work  the  electric 
rifle,  as  all  Tom's  attention  would  be  needed  at 
the  machinery.  As  soon  as  the  craft  had  made 
a  landing  he  was  to  leap  out,  carrying  a  revolver 
in  either  hand,  and,  followed  by  Tomba,  would 
endeavor  to  gain  entrance  to  the  hut,  break 
through  the  flimsy  grass-woven  curtain  over  the 
doorway,  and  get  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Illingway  out. 
Ned,  Mr.  Damon  and  the  other  two  men  would 
stand  by  to  fire  on  the  red  pygmies  as  soon  as 
they  commenced  the  attack,  which  they  would  un- 
doubtedly do  as  soon  as  the  guards  of  the  cap- 
tives raised  the  alarm. 

•     The  airship  was  in  darkness,  for  it  would  have 
I  been  dangerous  to  show  a  light.     Some  wakeful 
dwarf  might  see  the  moving  illumination  in  the 
sky,  and  raise  a  cry. 

"Mos5  dere,"  announced  Tomba  at  length. 
And  then,  for  the  first  time,  Ned  and  Tom  had 


THE  RESCUE  179 

a  glimpse  of  the  hut.  It  stood  away  from  the 
others,  and  was  easy  to  pick  out  in  daylight,  but 
even  the  darkness  offered  no  handicap  to  Tomba. 
"Right  over  him  now,"  he  suddenly  called,  as  he 
leaned  out  of  the  pilot  house  window,  and  looked 
down.  "Right  over  place.  Oh,  Tomba  glad 
when  he  see  Missy  an*  Massy !" 

"Yes,  I  hope  you  do  see  them,"  murmured 
Tom,  as  he  pulled  the  lever  which  would  pump 
the  gas  from  the  inflated  bag,  and  compress  it 
into  tanks,  until  it  was  needed  again  to  make  the 
ship  rise.  Slowly  the  Black  Hawk  sank  down. 

"Get  ready!"  called  Tom  in  a  low  voice. 

It  was  a  tense  moment.  Every  one  of  the  ad- 
venturers felt  it,  and  all  but  Tom  grasped  their 
weapons  with  tighter  grips.  They  were  ready 
to  spring  out  as  soon  as  a  landing  was  made. 
Tom  managed  the  machinery  in  the  dark,  for  he 
knew  every  wheel,  gear  and  lever,  and  could 
have  put  his  hand  on  any  one  with  his  eyes  shut. 
The  two  loaded  revolvers  were  on  a  shelf  in 
front  of  him.  The  side  door  of  the  pilot  house 
was  ajar,  to  allow  him  quick  egress. 

Tomba,  armed  with  a  big  club  he  had  picked 
up  in  the  jungle,  was  ready  to  follow.  The  black 
was  eager  for  the  fray  to  begin,  though  how  he 
and  the  others  would  fare  amid  the  savages  was 
hard  to  say. 


180     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

Still  not  a  sound  broke  the  quiet.  It  was  very 
dark,  for  nearly  all  the  camp  fires,  over  which  the 
nightly  feast  had  been  prepared,  were  out.  The 
.  hut  could  be  dimly  made  out,  however. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  slight  tremor  through  the 
ship.  She  seemed  to  shiver,  and  bound  upward 
a  little. 

"We've  landed!"  whispered  Tom.  "Now  for 
it !  Come  on,  Tomba !" 

The  big  black  glided  after  the  lad  like  a 
shadow.  With  his  two  weapons  held  in  readiness 
our  hero  went  out  on  deck.  The  others,  with 
cocked  rifles,  stood  ready  for  the  attack  to  open. 
It  had  been  decided  that  as  soon  as  the  first  alarm 
was  given  by  the  dwarfs,  which  would  probably 
be  when  Tom  broke  into  the  hut,  the  firing  would 
begin. 

"Open!"  called  Tom  to  Tomba,  and  the  big 
black  dashed  his  club  through  the  grass  curtain 
over  the  doorway  of  the  hut.  He  fairly  leaped 
inside,  with  a  cry  of  battle  on  his  lips. 

"Mr.  Illingway !  Mrs.  Illingway !"  called  Tom. 
"We've  come  to  save  you.  Hurry  out.  The  air- 
ship is  just  outside !" 

He  fired  one  shot  through  the  roof  of  the  hut, 
so  that  the  flash  would  reveal  to  him  whether  or 
not  the  two  missionaries  were  in  the  place.  He 
saw  two  forms  rise  up  in  front  of  him,  and  knew 


THE  RESCUE  l8l 

that  they  were  the  white  captives  he  had  observed 
during  the  former  attack. 

"Oh,  what  is  it?"  he  heard  the  woman  ask. 

"A  rescue !  Thank  the  dear  Lord !"  answered 
her  husband  fervently.  "Oh,  whoever  you  are, 
God  bless  you !" 

"Come  quickly!'  cried  Tom,  "we  haven't  a 
moment  to  lose!" 

He  was  speaking  to  absolute  blackness  now, 
for  it  was  darker  immediately  following  the  re- 
volver flash  than  before.  But  he  felt  a  man's 
hand  thrust  about  his  arm,  and  he  knew  it  was 
Mr.  Illingway. 

"Take  your  wife's  hand,  and  follow  me,"  or- 
dered Tom.  "Come,  Tomba!  Are  there  any  of 
the  red  pygmies  in  here?" 

He  had  not  seen  any  at  the  weapon's  flash,  but 
his  question  was  answered  a  moment  later,  for 
there  arose  from  within  and  without  the  hut  a 
chorus  of  wild  yells.  At  the  same  time  Tom  felt 
small  arms  grasp  him  about  the  legs. 

"Come  on!"  he  yelled.  "They're  awake  and 
after  us !" 

The  din  outside  increased.  Tom  heard  the 
rifles  of  his  friends  crack.  He  saw,  through  the 
torn  door  curtain,  the  flashes  of  fire.  Then  came 
a  blue  glare,  and  Tom  knew  that  Mr.  Durban 
was  using  the  electric  weapon. 


182     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

By  these  intermittent  gleams  Tom  managed 
to  see  sufficiently  to  thrust  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Illing- 
way  ahead  of  him.  Tomba  was  at  their  side. 
The  yells  inside  the  hut  were  almost  deafening. 
All  the  red  dwarfs  left  to  guard  the  captives  had 
awakened,  and  they  could  see  well  enough  to  at- 
tack Tom.  Fortunately  they  had  no  weapons, 
but  they  fairly  threw  themselves  upon  the  sturdy 
lad,  trying  to  pull  him  down. 

"Go  on!  Go  on!"  he  yelled  to  the  captives, 
fairly  pushing  them  along.  Then,  knowing  they 
were  out  of  the  way,  he  turned  and  fired  his  two 
revolvers  as  fast  as  he  could  pull  the  triggers, 
into  the  very  faces  of  the  red  imps  who  were 
seeking  to  drag  him  down.  Again  and  again  he 
fired,  until  he  had  emptied  both  cylinders  of  his 
weapons. 

He  felt  tHe  grasps  of  the  fiendish  little  men  re- 
lax one  by  one.  Tom  finally  dragged  himself 
loose,  and  staggered  out  of  the  hut.  The  captives 
and  Tomba  were  right  in  front  of  him.  At  the 
airship,  which  loomed  up  in  the  flashes  from  the 
guns  and  electric  rifle,  Tom's  friends  were  giving 
battle.  About  them  swarmed  the  hordes  of  sav- 
ages, with  more  of  the  imps  pouring  in  every 
moment. 

"Get  aboard!"  cried  Tom  to  the  missionaries. 
"Get  on  the  airship,  and  we'll  move  out  of  this !" 


THE  RESCUE  183 

He  felt  a  stinging  pain  in  his  neck,  where  an 
arrow  struck  him.  He  tore  the  arrow  out,  and 
rushed  forward.  Fairly  pushing  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Illingway  up  on  deck  before  him,  Tom  followed. 
Tomba  was  capering  about  his  master  and  mis- 
tress, and  he  swung  his  big  club  savagely.  He 
had  not  been  idle,  and  many  a  red  imp  had  gone 
down  under  his  blows. 

"Rescued!  Rescued!"  murmured  Mr.  Illing- 
way, as  Tom  hastened  to  the  pilot  house  to  start 
the  motor. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

TWO  OTHER  CAPTIVES 

BUT  the  rescue  was  not  yet  accomplished. 
Those  on  the  airship  were  still  in  danger,  and 
grave  peril,  for  all  about  them  were  the  red  sav- 
ages, shouting,  howling,  yelling  and  capering 
about,  as  they  were  now  thoroughly  aroused,  and 
realized  that  their  captives  had  been  taken  away 
from  them.  They  determined  to  get  them  back, 
and  were  rallying  desperately  to  battle.  Nearly 
all  of  them  were  armed  by  this  time,  and  flight 
after  flight  of  spears  and  arrows  were  thrown  or 
shot  toward  the  airship. 

Fortunately  it  was  too  dark  to  enable  the  pyg- 
mies to  take  good  aim.  They  were  guided,  to  an 
extent,  by  the  flashes  of  fire  fronV  the  rifles,  but 
these  were  only  momentary.  Still  some  of  our, 
friends  received  slight  wounds,  for  they  stood  on 
the  open  deck  of  the  craft. 

"Bless  my  eye-glasses!"  suddenly  exclaimed 
Mr.  Damon.  "I'm  stuck!" 

184 


TWO  OTHER  CAPTIVES  185 

"Don't  mind  that!"  advised  Ned.  ''Keep  on 
pouring  lead  into  them.  We'll  soon  be  away  from 
here!" 

"Don't  fire  any  more!"  called  Mr.  Durban. 
"The  gun-flashes  tell  them  where  to  shoot.  I'll 
use  the  electric  rifle.  It's  better." 

They  followed  his  advice,  and  put  aside  their 
weapons.  By  means  of  the  electric  flash,  which 
he  projected  into  the  midst  of  the  savages,  with- 
out the  glare  coming  on  the  airship,  Mr.  Durban 
was  able  to  tell  where  to  aim.  Once  he  had  a 
mass  of  red  pygmies  located,  he  could  keep  on 
shooting  charge  after  charge  into  their  midst. 

"Use  it  full  power !"  called  Tom,  as  he  opened 
the  gas  machine,  to  its  widest  capacity,  so  the 
bag  would  quickly  fill,  and  the  craft  be  sent  for- 
ward, for  it  was  so  dark,  and  the  ground  near 
the  huts  so  uneven,  that  the  Black  Hawk  could 
not  rise  as  an  aeroplane. 

The  elephant  hunter  turned  on  full  strength  in 
the  electric  gun  and  the  wireless  bullets  were  sent 
into  the  midst  of  the  attackers.  The  result  was 
surprising.  They  were  so  closely  packed  to- 
gether that  when  one  was  hit  the  electrical  shock 
was  sent  through  his  nearly  naked  body  into  the 
naked  bodies  of  his  tribesmen  who  pressed  on 
every  side  of  him.  In  consequence  whole  rows 


186     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

of  the  savages  went  down  at  a  time,  disabled  from 
fighting  any  more. 

Meanwhile  Tom  was  working  frantically  to 
hasten  the  rising  of  the  airship.  His  neck  pained 
him  very  much  where  the  arrow  had  struck  him, 
but  he  dared  not  stop  now  to  dress  the  wound. 
He  could  feel  the  blood  running  down  his  side, 
but  he  shut  his  teeth  grimly  and  said  nothing. 

The  two  missionaries,  scarcely  able  to  believe 
that  they  were  to  be  saved,  had  been  shown  into 
an  inner  cabin  by  Tomba,  who  had  become  some- 
what used  to  the  airship  by  this  time,  and  who 
could  find  his  way  about  well  in  the  dark,  for  no 
lights  had  yet  been  turned  on. 

Hundreds  of  pygmies  had  been  disabled,  yet 
still  others  came  to  take  their  places.  The  gas 
bag  was  again  punctured  in  several  places,  but 
the  rents  were  small,  and  Tom  knew  that  he 
could  make  the  gas  faster  than  it  could  escape, 
unless  the  bag  was  ripped  open. 

"They're  climbing  up  the  sides!"  suddenly 
called  Ned  Newton,  for  he  saw  several  of  the 
little  men  clambering  up.  "What  shall  we  do?" 

"Pound  their  fingers!"  called  Mr.  Anderson. 
"Get  clubs  and  whack  them!"  It  was  good  ad- 
vice. Ned  remembered  on  one  occasion  when  he 
and  Tom  were  looking  at  Andy  Foger's  airship, 
how  this  method  had  been  proposed  when  the 


TWO  OTHER  CAPTIVES  187 

bank  clerk  hung  on  the  back  fence.  As  he 
grabbed  up  a  stick,  and  proceeded  to  pound  the 
hands  and  bare  arms  of  the  savages  who  were 
clinging  to  the  railing,  Ned  found  himself  won- 
ydering  what  had  become  of  the  bully.  He  was 
to  see  Andy  sooner  than  he  expected. 

Suddenly  in  the  midst  of  the  fighting,  which 
was  now  a  hand-to-hand  conflict,  there  was  a  tre- 
mor throughout  the  length  of  the  airship. 

"She's  going  up!"  yelled  Ned. 

"Bless  my  check-book!"  cried  Mr.  Damon,  "if 
we  don't  look  out  some  of  these  red  imps  will  go 
up  with  us,  too !" 

As  he  spoke  he  whacked  vigorously  at  the 
hands  of  several  of  the  pygmies,  who  dropped 
off  with  howls  of  anguish. 

The  craft  quickly  shot  upward.  There  were 
yells  of  terror  from  a  few  of  the  red  savages  who 
remained  clinging  to  different  parts  of  the  Black 
Hawk  and  then,  fearing  they  might  be  taken  to 
the  clouds,  they,  too,  dropped  off.  The  rescuers 
and  rescued  mounted  higher  and  higher,  and, 
when  they  were  far  enough  up  so  that  there  was 
no  danger  from  the  spears  or  arrows,  Tom 
switched  on  the  lights,  and  turned  the  electric 
current  into  the  search-lantern,  the  rays  of  which 
beamed  down  on  the  mass  of  yelling  and  baffled 
savages  below. 


188     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

"A  few  shots  for  them  to  remember  us  by!" 
cried  Mr.  Durban,  as  he  sent  more  of  the  para- 
lyzing electric  currents  into  the  red  imps.  Their 
yell  of  rage  had  now  turned  to  shouts  of  terror, 
for  the  gleaming  beam  of  light  frightened  them 
more  than  did  the  airship,  or  the  bullets  of  the 
white  men.  The  red  pygmies  fled  to  their  huts. 

"I  guess  we  gave  them  a  lesson,"  remarked 
Tom,  as  he  started  the  propellers  and  sent  the 
ship  on  through  the  night. 

"Why,  Tom!  You're  hurt!"  cried  Ned,  who 
came  into  the  pilot  house  at  that  moment,  and 
saw  blood  on  his  chum. 

"Only  a  scratch,"  the  young  inventor  declared. 

"It's  more  than  that,"  said  Mr.  Durban  who 
looked  at  it  a  little  later.  "It  must  be  bound  up, 
Tom." 

And,  while  Ned  steered  the  ship  back  to  the 
jungle  clearing  whence  they  had  come  to  make  the 
night  attack,  Tom's  wound  was  dressed. 

Meanwhile  the  two  missionaries  had  been  well 
taken  care  of.  They  were  given  other  garments, 
even  some  dresses  being  provided  for  Mrs.  Illing- 
way,  for  when  the  voyage  was  begun  Tom  had 
considered  the  possibility  of  having  a  woman  on 
board,  and  had  bought  some  ladies'  garments. 
Then,  having  cast  down  to  earth  the  ill-smelling 
skins  which  formed  their  clothes  while  cap- 


OTHER  CAPTIVES  189 

lives,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Illingway,  decently  dressed, 
thanked  Tom  and  the  others  over  and  over  again. 

"We  had  almost  given  up  hope,"  said  the  lady, 
"when  we  saw  them  drive  you  back  after  the  first 
attack.  "Oh,  it  is  wonderful  to  think  how  you 
saved  us,  and  in  an  airship!"  and  she  and  her 
husband  began  their  thanks  over  again. 

A  good  meal  was  prepared  by  Mr.  Damon,  for 
the  rescuers  and  rescued  ones  were  hungry,  and 
since  they  had  been  held  prisoners  the  two  mis- 
sionaries had  not  been  given  very  good  food. 

"Oh,  it  hardly  seems  possible  that  we  are  eat- 
ing with  white  men  again,"  said  Mr.  Illingway, 
as  he  took  a  second  cup  of  coffee,  "hardly  pos- 
sible!" 

"And  to  see  electric  lights,  instead  of  a  camp- 
fire,"  added  his  wife.  "What  a  wonderful  air- 
ship you  have,  Tom  Swift." 

"Yes,  it's  pretty  good,"  he  admitted.  "It  came 
in  useful  to-night,  all  right." 

They  were  now  far  enough  from  the  savages, 
and  the  pygmies'  fires,  which  had  been  set  aglow 
ane*\v  when  the  attack  began,  could  no  longer  be 
observed. 

^VVe'll  land  at  the  place  where  we  camped  be- 
for,"  said  Tom,  who  had  again  assumed  charge 
of  the  ship,  "and  in  the  morning  we'll  start  for 
civilization." 


190    TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

"No  can  get  two  other  white  men?"  suddenly 
asked  Tomba,  who  had  been  sitting,  gazing  at  his 
recovered  master  and  mistress.  "Fly-ship  go 
back,  an'  leave  two  white  mans  here?"  the  black 
asked. 

"What  in  the  world  does  he  mean  ?"  demanded 
Tom.  "Of  course  we're  not  going  to  leave  any 
«if  our  party  behind." 

"Let  me  question  him,"  suggested  Mr.  Illing- 
way,  and  he  began  to  talk  to  the  African  in  his 
own  tongue.  A  rapid  conversation  followed,  and 
a  look  of  amazement  spread  over  the  faces  of  the 
two  missionaries,  as  they  listened. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Mr.  Durban.  "What  does 
Tomba  say?" 

"Why  the  pygmies  have  two  other  white  men 
hi  captivity,"  said  Mr.  Illingway.  "They  were 
brought  in  yesterday,  after  you  were  driven  away. 
Two  white  men,  or,  rather  a  white  man  and  a 
youth,  according  to  Tomba.  They  are  held  in  one 
of  the  huts  near  where  we  were,  but  tied  so  they 
couldn't  escape  in  the  confusion." 

"How  does  Tomba  know  this?"  asked  Mr. 
Damon. 

"He  says,"  translated  Mr.  Illingway,  after 
more  questioning  of  the  black,  "that  he  heard  the 
red  pygmies  boasting  of  it  after  we  had  escaped. 
tTomba  says  he  heard  them  say  that,  though  we 


TWO   OTHER  CAPTIVES  191 

were  gone,  and  could  not  be  killed,  or  sacrificed, 
the  other  two  captives  would  meet  that  horrible 
fate." 

"Two  other  white  captives  in  the  hands  of  the 
red  imps!"  murmured  Tom.  "We  must  rescue 
them !" 

"You're  not  going  to  turn  back  now,  are  you?" 
asked  Mr.  Durban. 

"No,  but  I  will  as  soon  as  I  look  the  ship  over. 
We'll  come  back  to-morrow.  And  we'll  have  to 
make  a  day  attack  or  it  will  be  too  late  to  save 
them.  Two  other  white  captives!  I  wonder 
who  they  can  be?" 

There  was  a  big  surprise  in  store  for  Tom 
Swift. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

THE  ROGUE  ELEPHANT — CONCLUSION 

EARLY  the  next  day  the  airship  was  again 
afloat.  The  night,  what  little  of  darkness  re- 
mained after  the  rescue,  had  been  spent  in  the 
clearing  in  the  dense  jungle.  Some  slight  repairs 
had  been  made  to  the  craft,  and  it  was  once  more 
in  readiness  to  be  used  in  battle  against  the  re- 
lentless savages. 

"We  can't  wait  for  darkness,"  declared  Tom. 
"In  the  first  place  there  isn't  time,  and  again,  we 
don't  know  in  what  part  of  the  village  the  other 
captives  are.  We'll  have  to  hunt  around/' 

"And  that  means  going  right  down  into  the 
midst  of  the  imps  and  fighting  them  hand  to 
hand,"  said  Ned. 

"That's  what  it  means,"  assented  Tom  grimly, 
"but  I  guess  the  powder  bombs  will  help  some." 

Before  starting  they  had  prepared  a  number  of 
improvised  bombs,  filled  with  powder,  which  could 
be  set  off  by  percussion.  It  was  the  plan  to  drop 
192 


THE  ROGUE  ELEPHANT— CONCLUSION     193 

these  down  from  the  airship,  into  the  midst  of  the 
savages.  When  the  bomb  struck  the  ground,  or 
even  on  the  bodies  of  the  red  dwarfs,  it  would  ex- 
plode. It  was  hoped  that  these  would  so  dismay 
the  little  men  that  they  would  desert  the  village, 
and  leave  the  way  clear  for  a  search  to  be  made 
for  the  other  captives. 

On  rushed  the  Black  Hawk.  There  was  to  be 
no  concealment  this  time,  and  Tom  did  not  care 
how  much  noise  the  motors  made.  Accordingly 
he  turned  on  full  speed. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  big  plain  was  again 
sighted.  Everything  was  in  readiness,  and  the 
bombs  were  at  hand  to  be  dropped  overboard. 
Tom  counted  on  the  natives  gathering  together 
in  great  masses  as  soon  as  they  sighted  the  air- 
ship, and  this  would  give  him  the  opportunity 
wanted. 

But  something  different  transpired.  No  sooner 
was  the  craft  above  the  village,  than  from  all  the 
huts  came  pouring  out  the  little  red  men.  But 
they  did  not  gather  together — at  least  just  then. 
They  ran  about  excitedly,  and  it  could  be  seen 
that  they  were  bringing  from  the  huts  the  rude 
household  utensils  in  which  they  did  their  primi- 
tive cooking.  The  women  had  their  babies,  and 
some,  not  so  encumbered,  carried  rolls  of  grass 
matting.  The  men  had  all  their  weapons. 


194    TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

"Blesss  my  wagon  wheel!"  cried  Mr.  Damon. 
"What's  going  on?" 

"It  looks  like  moving  day,"  suggested  Ned 
Newton. 

"That's  just  what  it  is!"  declared  Mr.  Durban. 
"They  are  going  to  migrate*.  Evidently  they 
have  had  enough  of  us,  and  they're  going  to  get 
out  of  the  neighborhood  before  we  get  a  chance 
to  do  any  more  damage.  They're  moving,  but 
where  are  the  white  captives?" 

He  was  answered  a  moment  later,  for  a  crowd 
of  the  dwarfs  rushing  to  a  certain  hut,  came  out 
leading  two  persons  by  means  of  bark  ropes  tied 
about  their  necks.  It  was  too  far  off  to  enable 
Tom  or  the  others  to  recognize  them,  but  they 
could  tell  by  the  clothing  that  they  were  white 
captives. 

"We've  got  to  save  them !"  exclaimed  the  young 
inventor. 

"How  ?"  asked  Mr.  Damon.  And,  indeed,  it  did 

seem  a  puzzle  for,  even  as  Tom  looked,  the  whole 

tribe  of  red  imps  took  up  the  march  into  the 

'  .jungle,  dragging  the  white  persons  with  them. 

/The  captives  looked  up,   saw  the  airship,   and 

made  frantic  motions  for  help.    It  was  too  far  off, 

yet,  to  hear  their  voices.     But  the  distance  was 

lessening  every  moment,  for  Tom  had  speeded  the 

motor  to  the  highest  pitch. 


THE  ROGUE  ELEPHANT— CONCLUSION     195 

"What  are  you  going  to  do?"  demanded  Ned. 

"I'll  show  you,"  answered  his  chum.     "Take 
some  of  those  bombs,  and  be  ready  to  drop  them 
overboard  when  I  give  the  word." 
'   "But  we   may  kill  those  white  people,"   ob- 
jected Ned. 

"Not  the  way  Fm  going  to  work  it.  You  drop 
them  when  I  give  the  word." 

Tom  steered  the  airship  toward  the  head  of  the 
throng  of  blacks.  The  captives  were  in  the  rear, 
and  the  van  of  the  strange  procession  was  near 
the  edge  of  the  jungle  now.  Once  the  red  dwarfs 
got  into  the  tangle  of  underbrush  they  could  never 
be  found,  and  their  captives  would  die  a  miser- 
able death. 

"We've  got  to  stop  them,"  murmured  Tom. 
"Are  you  ready,  Ned  ?" 

"Ready!" 

"Then  drop  the  bombs !" 

Ned  dropped  them.  A  sharp  explosion  was 
heard,  and  the  head  of  the  procession  was  blown 
apart  and  thrown  into  confusion.  The  throng 
halted. 

"Drop  more!"  cried  Tom,  sending  the  ship 
about  in  a  circle,  and  hovering  it  over  the  middle 
of  the  press  of  savages. 

More  of  the  deadly  bombs  exploded.  The  pyg- 
mies wsre  running  about  wildly.  Tom,  who  was 


196     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

closely  watching  the  rear  of  the  cavalcade,  sud- 
'denly  called  out : 

"Now's  our  chance !  They've  let  their  captives 
go,  and  are  running  into  the  jungle.  We  must 
swoop  down,  and  get  the  prisoners !" 

It  was  no  sooner  said  than  the  nose  of  the 
Black  Hawk  was  pointed  downward.  Onward  it 
flew,  the  two  captives  wildly  waving  their  hands 
to  the  rescuers.  There  was  no  more  danger  from 
the  red  savages.  They  had  been  thrown  into 
panic  and  confusion,  and  were  rapidly  disappear- 
ing into  the  forest.  The  terrible  weapons  of  the 
whites  had  been  too  much  for  them. 

"Quick!  Get  on  board!"  called  Tom,  as  he 
brought  the  machinery  to  a  stop.  The  airship 
now  rested  on  the  ground,  close  to  the  former 
captives.  "Get  in  here!"  shouted  the  young  in- 
ventor. "They  may  change  their  minds  and 
come  back." 

The  two  white  persons  ran  toward  the  Black 
'Hawk.    Then  one  of  them- — the  smaller — halted, 
and  cried  out: 
'      "Why,  it's  Tom  Swift!" 

Tom  turned  and  glanced  at  the  speaker.  A  look 
of  astonishment  spread  over  his  face. 

"Andy  Foger— here!"  gasped  Tom.  "How 
in  the  world ?" 

I  dink  besser  as  ve  git  on  der  board,  und  dalk 


THE  ROGUE  ELEPHANT— CONCLUSION     197 

aftervard!"  exclaimed  Andy's  companion,  who 
spoke  with  a  strong  German  accent.  "I  like  not 
dose  red  little  mans." 

In  another  minute  the  two  rescued  ones  were 
safe  on  Tom  Swiff s  airship,  and  it  had  arisen 
high  enough  to  be  out  of  all  danger. 

"How  in  the  world  did  you  ever  get  here?" 
asked  Tom  of  the  lad  who  had  so  often  been  his 
enemy. 

"I'll  tell  you  soon,"  spoke  Andy,  "but  first, 
Tom,  I  want  to  ask  your  forgiveness  for  all  I've 
done  to  you,  and  to  thank  you,  from  the  bottom 
of  my  heart,  for  saving  us.  I  thought  we  were 
going  to  be  killed  by  those  dwarfs ;  didn't  you, 
Herr  Landbacher?" 

"Sure  I  did.  But  ve  are  all  right  now.  Dis 
machine  is  efen  besser  as  mine  vot  vos  lost.  Is 
dere  anyt'ing  to  eats,  on  board,  if  you  vill  excuse 
me  for  being  so  bolt  as  to  ask?" 

"Plenty  to  eat,"  said  Tom,  laughing,"  and 
while  you  eat  you  can  tell  us  your  story.  And  as 
for  you,  Andy,  I  hope  we'll  be  friends  from  now 
on,"  and  Tom  held  out  his  hand. 

There  was  not  much  to  tell  that  the  reader 
has  not  already  guessed.  Andy  and  the  German, 
as  has  been  explained,  went  abroad  to  give  air- 
ship flights.  They  were  in  the  lower  part  of 
Egypt,  and  a  sudden  gale  drove  them  into  Africa. 


198     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

For  a  long  time  they  sailed  on,  and  then  their 
fuel  gave  out,  and  they  had  to  descend  into  the 
jungle.  They  managed  to  fall  in  with  some 
friendly  blacks,  who  treated  them  well.  The  air- 
ship was  useless  without  gasolene,  and  it  was 
abandoned. 

Andy  and  the  German  inventor  were  planning 
to  .walk  to  some  white  settlement,  when  the  tribe 
they  were  with  was  attacked  by  the  red  dwarfs 
and  vanquished.  Andy  and  his  friend  were  taken 
prisoners,  and  carried  to  the  very  village  where 
the  missionaries  were,  just  before  the  latter's 
rescue. 

Then  came  the  fight,  and  the  saving  of  Andy 
and  the  German,  almost  at  the  last  minute. 

"Well,  you  certainly  had  nearly  as  many  ad- 
ventures as  we  did,"  said  Tom.  "But  I  guess 
they're  over  now." 

But  they  were  not.  For  several  days  the  air- 
ship sailed  on  over  the  jungles  without  making  a 
descent.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Illingway  wished  to  be 
landed  at  a  white  settlement  where  they  had  other 
missionary  friends.  Tomba  would  go  with  them. 
This  was  done,  and  Tom  and  the  others  spent 
some  time  in  this  place,  receiving  so  many  kinds 
of  thanks  that  they  had  to  protest. 

Andy  and  Herr  Landbacher  asked  to  be  taken 
back  to  the  coast,  where  they  could  get  a  steamer 


THE  ROGUE  ELEPHANT— CONCLUSION     199 

to  America.    Andy  was  a  very  different  lad  now, 
and  not  the  bully  of  old. 

"Well,  hadn't  we  better  be  thinking  of  getting 
back  home?"  asked  Tom  one  day. 

"Not  until  we  get  some  more  ivory/'  declared 
Mr.  Durban.  "I  think  we'll  have  to  have  another 
elephant  hunt." 

They  did,  about  a  week  later,  and  got  some 
magnificent  tusks.  Tom's  electric  rifle  did  great 
work,  to  the  wonder  of  Andy  and  Mr.  Land- 
bacher,  who  had  never  before  seen  such  a  curious 
weapon.  They  also  did  some  night  hunting. 

"But  we  haven't  got  that  pair  of  extra  large 
tusks  that  I  want,"  said  the  old  hunter,  as  he 
looked  at  the  store  of  ivory  accumulated  after  the 
last  hunt.  "I  want  those,  and  then  I'll  be  satis- 
fied. There  is  one  section  of  the  country  that 
we  have  not  touched  as  yet,  and  I'd  like  to  visit 
that." 

"Then  let's  go,"  proposed  Tom,  so,  good-bys 
having  been  said  to  the  missionaries,  who  sent 
greetings  to  their  friends  in  America,  and  to  the 
i  church  people  who  had  arranged  for  their  rescue, 
the  airship  was  once  more  sent  to  the  deepest  part 
of  a  certain  jungle,  where  Mr.  Durban  hoped  to 
get  what  he  wanted. 

They  had  another  big  hunt,  but  none  of  the 
elephants  had  any  remarkable  tusks,  and  the 


200     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

hunter  was  about  to  give  up  in  despair,  and  call 
the  expedition  over,  when  one  afternoon,  as  they 
were  sailing  along  high  enough  to  merely  clear 
the  tops  of  the  trees,  Tom  heard  a  great  crashing 
down  below. 

"There's  something  there,"  he  called  to  Mr. 
Durban.  "Perhaps  a  small  herd  of  elephants. 
Shall  we  go  down?" 

Before  Mr.  Durban  could  answer  there  came 
into  view,  in  a  small  clearing,  an  elephant  of  such 
size,  and  with  such  an  enormous  pair  of  tusks, 
that  the  young  inventor  and  the  old  hunter  could 
not  repress  cries  of  astonishment. 

"There's  your  beast !"  said  Tom.  "I'll  go  down 
and  you  can  pot  him,"  and,  as  he  spoke,  Tom 
stopped  the  propellers,  so  that  the  ship  hung  mo- 
tionless in  the  air  above  where  the  gigantic  brute 
was.  t 

Suddenly,  as  though  possessed  by  a  fit  of  rage, 
the  elephant  rushed  at  a  good-sized  tree  and  be- 
gan butting  it  with  his  head.  Then,  winding  his 
trunk  around  it  he  pulled  it  up  by  the  roots,  and 
began  trampling  on  it  in  a  paroxysm  of  anger. 

"A  rogue  elephant!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Durban. 
"Don't  go  down  if  you  value  your  life,  or  the 
safety  of  the  airship.  If  we  attacked  that  brute 
on  the  ground,  we  would  be  the  hunted  instead  of 


THE  ROGUE  ELEPHANT— CONCLUSION     2OI 

the  hunters.  That's  a  rogue  elephant  of  the 
worst  kind,  and  he's  at  the  height  of  his  rage." 

This  was  indeed  so,  for  the  beast  was  tearing 
about  the  clearing  like  mad,  breaking  off  trees, 
and  uprooting  them  in  sheer  wantonness.  Tom 
knew  what  a  "rogue"  elephant  was.  It  is  a  beast 
that  goes  away  from  the  herd,  and  lives  solitary 
and  alone,  attacking  every  living  thing  that  comes 
in  his  way.  It  is  a  species  of  madness,  a  disease 
which  attacks  elephants  and  sometimes  passes 
away.  More  often  the  afflicted  creature  gives 
battle  to  everything  and  every  animal  he  meets 
until  he  is  killed  or  carried  off  by  his  malady.  It 
was  such  an  elephant  that  Tom  now  saw,  and  he 
realized  what  the  hunter  said  about  attacking  one, 
as  he  saw  the  brute's  mad  rushes. 

"Well,  if  it's  dangerous  to  attack  him  on 
the  ground,  we'll  kill  him  from  up  above,"  said 
the  young  inventor.  "Here  is  the  electric  rifle, 
Mr.  Durban.  I'll  let  you  have  the  honor  of  get- 
ting those  tusks.  My!  But  they're  whoppers! 
Better  use  almost  a  full  charge.  Don't  take  any 
chances  on  merely  wounding  him,  and  having  him 
rush  off  to  the  jungle." 

"I  won't,"  said  the  old  hunter,  and  he  ad- 
justed the  electric  rifle  which  Tom  handed  him. 

As  the  great  beast  was  tearing  around,  trum- 
peting shrilly  and  breaking  off  trees  Mr.  Durban 


202     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

fired.  The  creature  sank  down,  instantly  killed, 
and  was  out  of  his  misery,  for  often  it  is  great 
pain  which  makes  an  otherwise  peaceable  ele- 
phant become  a  "rogue." 

"He's  done  for,"  said  Ned.  "I  guess  you  have 
the  tusks  you  want  now,  Mr.  Durban." 

"I  think  so,"  agreed  the  hunter,  and  when  the 
airship  was  sent  down,  and  the  ivory  cut  out,  it 
was  found  that  the  tusks  were  even  larger  than 
they  had  supposed.  "It  is  a  prize  worth  having," 
said  Mr.  Durban.  "I'm  sure  my  customer  will 
think  so,  too.  Now  I'm  ready  to  head  for  the 
coast." 

Tom  Swift  went  to  the  engine  room,  while 
the  last  big  tusks  were  being  stored  away  with 
the  other  ivory.  Several  parts  of  the  motor 
needed  oiling,  and  Ned  was  assisting  in  this 
work. 

"Going  to  start  soon?"  asked  Mr.  Durban,  ap- 
pearing in  the  doorway. 

"Yes;  why?"  inquired  Tom,  who  noted  an 
anxious  note  in  the  voice  of  the  hunter. 

"Well,  I  don't  like  staying  longer  in  this 
jungle  than  I  can  help.  It's  not  healthy  in  the 
first  place,  and  then  it's  a  wild  and  desolate 
place,  where  all  sorts  of  wild  beasts  are  lurking, 
and  where  wandering  bands  of  natives  may  ap- 
pear at  any  time." 


THE  ROGUE  ELEPHANT— CONCLUSION    203 

"You  don't  mean  that  the  red  pygmies  will 
•come  back;  do  you?"  asked  Ned. 

"There's  no  telling,"  replied  Mr.  Durban  with 
a  shrug  of  his  shoulders.  "Only,  as  long  as 
we've  got  what  we're  after,  I'd  start  off  as  soon 
as  possible." 

"Yes,  don't  run  any  chances  with  those  little 
red  men,"  begged  Andy  Foger,  who  had  given 
himself  up  for  lost  when  he  and  his  companion 
fell  into  their  hands. 

"Radder  vould  I  be  mit  cannibals  dan  dose 
little  imps!"  spoke  the  German  fervently. 

"We'll  start  at  once,"  declared  Tom.  "Are 
you  all  aboard,  and  is  everything  loaded  into 
the  airship?" 

"Everything,  I  guess,"  answered  Mr.  Ander- 
son. 

Tom  looked  to  the  motor,  saw  that  it  was  in 
working  order,  and  shoved  over  the  lever  of  the 
gas  machine  to  begin  the  generating  of  the  lift- 
ing vapor.  To  his  surprise  there  was  no  cor- 
responding hiss  that  told  of  the  gas  rushing  into 
the  bag. 

"That's  odd,"  he  remarked.  "Ned,  see  if  any- 
thing is  wrong  with  that  machine.  I'll  pull  the 
lever  again." 

The  bank  clerk  stood  beside  the  apparatus, 
while  Tom  worked  the  handle,  but  whatever  was 


204    TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

the  matter  with  it  was  too  intricate  or  compli- 
cated for  Ned  to  solve. 

"I  can't  see  what  ails  it,"  he  called  to  his 
chum.  "You  better  have  a  peep." 

"All  right,  I'll  look  if  you'll  work  the  handle." 

The  passengers  on  the  airship,  which  now 
rested  in  a  little  clearing  in  the  dense  jungle, 
gathered  at  the  engine  room  door,  looking  at 
Tom  and  Ned  as  they  worked  over  the  machine. 

"Bless  my  pulley  wheel!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Dsr 
mon,  "I  hope  nothing  has  gone  wrong." 

"Well  something  has !"  declared  the  young  in- 
ventor in  a  muffled  voice,  for  he  was  down  on  his 
hands  and  knees  peering  under  the  gas  appa- 
ratus. "One  of  the  compression  cylinders  has 
cracked,"  he  added  dubiously.  "It  must  have 
snapped  when  we  landed  this  last  time.  I  came 
down  too  heavily." 

"What  does  that  mean?"  asked  Mr.  Durban, 
who  did  not  know  much  about  machinery. 

"It  means  that  I've  got  to  put  a  new  cylinder 
in,"  went  on  Tom.  "It's  quite  a  job,  too,  but  we 
can't  make  gas  without  it!" 

"Well,  can't  you  do  it  just  as  well  up  in  the 
air  as  down  here?"  asked  Mr.  Durban.  "Make 
an  ascension,  Tom,  and  do  the  repairs  up  above, 
where  we've  got  good  air,  and  where " 

He  paused  suddenly,  and  seemed  to  be  listening. 


THE  ROGUE  ELEPHANT— CONCLUSION    205 

"What  is  it  ?"  asked  the  young  inventor  quick- 
ly. There  was  no  need  to  answer,  for,  from  the 
jungle  without,  came  the  dull  booming  of  the 
war  drums  of  some  natives. 

"That's  what  I  was  afraid  of!"  cried  the  old 
elephant  hunter,  catching  up  his  gun.  "Some 
black  scout  has  seen  us  and  is  summoning  his 
tribesmen.  Hurry,  Tom,  send  up  the  ship,  and 
we'll  take  care  of  the  savages." 

"But  I  can't  send  her  up !"  cried  Tom. 

"You  can't?    Why  not?" 

"Because  the  gas  machine  won't  work  until  1 
put  in  a  new  cylinder,  and  that  will  take  at  least 
a  half  a  day." 

"Go  up  as  an  aeroplane  then!"  cried  Mr. 
Damon.  "Bless  my  monkey  wrench,  Tom,  you've 
often  done  it  before." 

For  answer  Tom  waved  his  hand  toward  the 
thick  jungle  all  about  them. 

"We  haven't  room  to  get  a  running  start  of 
ten  feet,"  he  said,  "and  without  a  start  the  air- 
ship can  never  rise  as  a  mere  aeroplane.  The 
only  way  we  can  get  up  from  the  jungle  is  like 
a  balloon,  and  without  the  gas " 

He  paused  significantly.  The  sound  of  the 
war  drums  became  louder,  and  to  it  was  added 
a  weird  singing  chant. 

"The  natives !"  cried  Mr.  Anderson.    "They're 


206     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

coming  right  this  way!  We  must  fight  them  off 
if  they  attack  us !" 

"Where's  the  electric  rifle?"  asked  Ned.  "Get 
that  out,  Tom !" 

"Wait!"  suggested  Mr.  Durban.  "This  is  se- 
rious! It  looks  as  if  they  were  going  to  attack 
us,  and  they  have  us  at  a  disadvantage.  Our 
only  safety  is  in  flight,  but  as  Tom  says  we  can't 
go  up  until  the  gas  machine  is  fixed,  he  will  have 
to  attend  to  that  part  of  it  while  we  keep  off  the 
black  men.  Tom,  we  can't  spare  you  to  fight 
this  time!  You  repair  the  ship  as  soon  as  you 
can,  and  we'll  guard  her  from  the  natives.  And 
you've  got  to  work  lively!" 

"I  will !"  cried  the  young  inventor.  "It's  lucky 
we  have  a  spare  cylinder!" 

Suddenly  there  was  a  louder  shout  in  the 
jungle  and  it  was  followed  by  a  riot  of  sound. 
War  drums  were  beaten,  tom-toms  clashed  and 
the  natives  howled. 

"Here  they  are!"  cried  Mr.  Anderson. 

"Bless  my  suspenders!"  shouted  Mr.  Damon. 
"Where  is  my  gun?" 

"Here,  you  take  mine,  and  I'll  use  the  electric 
rifle,"  answered  the  elephant  hunter.  As  he 
spoke  there  was  a  hissing  sound  in  the  air  and 
a  flight  of  spears  passed  over  the  airship. 

The  defenders  slipped  outside,  while  Tom,  with 


THE  ROGUE  ELEPHANT— CONCLUSION    207 

Ned  to  help  him,  worked  feverishly  to  repair 
the  break.  They  were  in  a  serious  strait,  for 
with  the  airship  practically  helpless  they  were  at 
the  mercy  of  the  natives.  And  as  Tom  glanced 
momentarily  from  the  window,  he  saw  scores  of 
black,  half-naked  forms  slipping  in  and  out 
among  the  trees  and  trailing  vines. 

Soon  the  rifles  of  his  friends  began  to  crack, 
and  the  yells  of  the  natives  were  changed  to 
howls  of  anguish.  The  electric  weapon,  though 
it  made  no  noise,  did  great  execution. 

"I  only  hope  they  don't  puncture  the  gas  bag/' 
murmured  Tom,  as  he  began  taking  the  gener- 
ating machine  apart  so  as  to  get  out  the  cracked 
cylinder. 

"If  they  do,  it's  all  up  with  us,"  murmured 
Ned. 

After  their  first  rush,  finding  that  the  white 
men  were  on  the  alert,  the  blacks  withdrew  some 
distance,  where  their  spears  and  arrows  were  not 
so  effective.  Our  friends,  including  Andy  Foger, 
and  the  German,  kept  up  a  hot  fire  whenever  a 
skulking  black  form  could  be  seen. 

But,  though  the  danger  from  the  spears  and 
arrows  was  less,  a  new  peril  presented  itself. 
This  was  from  the  blow  guns.  The  curious 
weapons  shot  small  arrows,  tipped  with  tufts  of 
a  cottony  substance  in  place  of  feathers,  and 


'308     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

could  be  sent  for  a  long  distance.  The  barbs  were 
not  strong  enough  to  pierce  the  tough  fabric  of 
the  gas  bag,  as  a  spear  or  arrow  would  have 
clone,  but  there  was  more  danger  from  them  to 
our  friends  who  were  on  deck. 

"Those  barbs  may  be  poisoned,"  said  Mr.  Dur- 
ban, "and  in  case  any  one  is  wounded,  the  hurt, 
though  it  be  but  a  scratch,  must  be  treated  with 
antiseptics.  I  have  some." 

This  course  was  followed,  the  elephant  hunter 
being  wounded  twice,  and  Andy  Foger  and  Mr. 
Damon  once  each.  There  was  not  a  native  to  be 
seen  now,  for  they  were  hiding  behind  the  trees 
of  the  jungle,  but  every  now  and  then  a  blow- 
gun  barb  would  whizz  out  of  the  forest. 

Finally  Mr.  Durban  suggested  that  they  erect 
improvised  shelters,  behind  which  they  could 
stand  with  their  rifle,  and  breastworks  were  made 
out  of  packing  boxes.  Then  our  friends  were 
comparatively  safe.  But  they  had  to  be  on  the 
alert,  and  it  was  nervous  work,  for  they  could 
not  tell  what  minute  the  blacks  would  rush  from 
the  jungle,  and,  in  spite  of  the  fire  from  the 
electric  rifle  and  other  guns,  overwhelm  the  ship. 

It  was  very  trying  to  Tom  and  Ned,  for  they 
had  to  work  hard  and  rapidly  in  the  close  engine 
room.  The  sweat  dripped  down  off  them,  but 
they  kept  at  it.  It  was  three  hours  before  the 


THE  ROGUE  ELEPHANT— CONCLUSION    209 

broken  cylinder  was  removed,  and  it  was  no  light 
task  to  put  in  the  other,  for  the  valves  had  to 
be  made  very  tight  to  prevent  leakage. 

The  two  lads  stopped  to  get  something  to  eat, 
while  the  guards  kept  sharp  watch  against  a  sur- 
prise. At  intervals  came  a  flight  of  barbs,  and 
occasionally  a  black  form  could  be  seen,  when 
it  was  instantly  fired  at.  Several  times  the  bar- 
baric noise  of  the  tom-toms  and  war  drums,  with 
which  the  shouts  of  the  natives  mingled,  broke 
out  deafeningly. 

"Think  you  can  repair  it  by  night?"  asked  Mr. 
Durban  anxiously  of  Tom. 

"I  hope  so,"  was  the  response. 

"Because  if  we  have  to  stay  here  after  dark — 
well,  I  don't  want  to  do  it  if  I  can  help  it,"  fin- 
ished the  hunter. 

Neither  did  the  young  inventor,  and  he  re- 
doubled his  efforts  to  make  the  repairs.  It  was 
getting  dusk  when  the  last  bolt  was  in  place,  and 
it  was  high  time,  too,  for  the  natives  were  get- 
ting bolder,  creeping  up  through  the  forest  to 
within  shooting  distance  with  their  arrows  and 
spears. 

"There!"  cried  Tom  at  length.  "Now  we'll 
see  if  she  works!"  Once  more  he  pulled  the 
starting  lever,  and  this  time  there  was  the  wel- 
come hiss  of  the  gas. 


2io    TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

"Hurrah!"  cried  Ned. 

The  young  inventor  turned  the  machine  on  at 
full  power.  In  a  few  minutes  the  Black  Hawk 
trembled  through  her  length. 

"She's  going  up!  Bless  my  balloon  basket! 
She's  going  up!"  cried  Mr.  Damon. 

The  natives  must  have  suspected  that  some- 
thing unusual  was  going  on,  for  they  made  a 
sudden  rush,  yelling  and  beating  their  drums. 
Mr.  Durban  and  the  others  hurried  out  on  deck 
and  fired  at  them,  but  there  was  little  more  need. 
With  a  bound  the  airship  left  the  earth,  being 
rapidly  carried  up  by  the  gas.  The  blacks  sent  a 
final  shower  of  spears  after  her,  but  only  one 
was  effective,  slightly  wounding  the  German. 
Then  Tom  started  the  motor,  the  propellers 
whizzed,  and  the  Black  Hawk  was  once  more 
under  way,  just  as  night  settled  over  the  jungle, 
and  upon  the  horde  of  black  and  howling  savages 
that  rushed  around,  maddened  over  the  escape  of 
their  intended  victims. 

No  further  accidents  marred  the  trip  to  the 
coast,  which  was  reached  in  due  time,  and  very 
glad  our  friends  were  to  be  away  from  the  jungle 
arid  the  land  of  the  red  pygmies. 

A  division  was  made  of  the  ivory,  and  Tom's 
share  was  large  enough  to  provide  him  with  a  sub- 
stantial amount.  Ned  and  Mr.  Damon  were  also 


THE  ROGUE  ELEPHANT— CONCLUSION    21  r 

given  a  goodly  sum  from  the  sale  of  the  tusks. 
The  big  ones,  from  the  "rogue,"  were  shipped  to 
the  man  who  had  commissioned  Mr.  Durban  to 
secure  them  for  him. 

"Well,  now  for  home,"  said  Tom,  when  the 
airship  had  been  taken  apart  for  shipment, 
guess  you'll  be  glad  to  get  back  to  the  United 
States,  won't -you,  friends?" 

"That's  what,"  agreed  Andy  Foger.  "I  think 
I'm  done  with  airships.  Ugh !  When  I  think  of 
those  red  dwarfs  I  can't  sleep  nights !" 

"Yah,  dot  iss  so !"  agreed  the  German. 

"Well,  I'm  going  to  settle  down  for  a  time," 
declared  Tom.  "I've  had  enough  adventures  for 
a  while,  but  those  in  elephant  land " 

"They  certainly  put  it  all  over  the  things  that 
happen  to  some  people!"  interrupted  Ned  with  a 
laugh. 

"Bless  my  fish-line,  that's  so !"  agreed  Mr.  Da- 
mon. 

But  Tom  Swift  was  not  done  with  adventures, 
and  what  further  happened  to  him  may  be  learned 
by  reading  the  next  volume  of  this  series,  which 
will  be  entitled,  "Tom  Swift  in  the  City  of  Gold ; 
or,  Marvelous  Adventures  Underground." 

They  all  made  a  safe  and  pleasant  voyage  home, 
and  as  news  of  the  rescue  of  the  missionaries  had 
been  cabled  to  America,  Tom  and  his  friends  were 


212    TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

met,  as  they  left  the  steamer,  by  a  crowd  of  news- 
paper reporters,  who  got  a  good  story  of  the 
battle  with  the  red  pygmies,  though  Tom  was  in- 
clined to  make  light  of  his  part  in  the  affair. 

"Now  for  Shopton,  home,  dad,  Eradicate 
Sampson  and  his  mule !"  exclaimed  Tom,  as  they 
boarded  a  train  in  New  York. 

"And  somebody  else,  too,  I  guess;  eh?"  asked 
Ned  of  his  chum,  with  a  laugh. 

"That's  none  of  your  affair!"  declared  Tom, 
as  he  blushed,  and  then  he,  too,  joined  in  the  mer- 
riment. 

And  now,  for  a  time,  we  will  say  good-by  to 
the  young  inventor  and  his  friends. 

THE  END 


THE   TOM    SWIFT    SERIES 

By  VICTOR  APPLETON 

12mo  CLOTH,     tlUISTlATEO.       PUCE  PER  VOLUME  40  CENTS.     POSTPAID 

These  spirited  tales  convey  in  a  realistic  way  the  wonderful  ad- 
vances in  land  and  sea  locomotion.  Stories  like  these  are  impressed 
upon  the  youthful  memory  and  their  reading  is  productive  only  of 
good. 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR  CYCLE 

Or  Fun  and  Adventure  on  the  Road 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR  BOAT 
Or  The  Rivals  of  Lake  Carlopa 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

Or  The  Stirring  Cruise  of  the  Red  Cloud 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  SUBMARINE  BOAT 
Or  Under  the  Ocean  for  Sunken  Treasure 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RUNABOUT 
Or  The  Speediest  Car  on  the  Road 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 
Or  The  Castaways  of  Earthquake  Island 

TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 
Or  The  Secret  of  Phantom  Mountain 

TOM  SWIFT  IN  THE  CAVES  OF  ICE 

Or  The  Wreck  of  the  Airship 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  SKY  RACER 

Or  The  Quickest  Flight  on  Record 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

Or  Daring  Adventures  in  Elephant  Land 

TOM  SWIFT  IN  THE  CITY  OF  GOLD 
Or  Marvellous  Adventures  Underground 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIR  GLIDER, 

Or  Seeking  the  Platinum  Treasure 

TOM  SWIFT  IN  CAPTIVITY 
Or  A  Daring  Escape  by  Airship 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIZARD  CAMERA 
Or  The  Perils  of  Moving  Picture  Taking 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  GREAT  SEARCHLIGHT 
Or  On  the  Border  for  Uncle  Sam 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  GIANT  CANNON 
Or  The  Longest  Shots  on  Record 

7GIvf  SWIFT  AND  HIS  PHOTO  TELEPHONE 

Or  The  Picture  that  Saved  a  Fortune 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,  526  WEST  26th  ST.,  NEW  YORK 


THE  MOVING  PICTURE  BOYS 
SERIES 

By  VICTOR  APPLETON 

12mo.    CLOTH,    ILLUSTRATED.       PRICE  PER  VOLUME  40  CENTS,  POSTPAID- 

Moving  pictures  and  photo  plays  are  famous  the 
world  over,  and  in  this  line  of  books  the  reader  is  given 
a  full  description  of  how  the  films  are  made — the  scenes 
of  little  dramas,  indoors  and  out,  trick  pictures  to  satisfy 
the  curious,  soul-stirring  pictures  of  city  affairs,  life  in  the 
Wild  West,  among  the  cowboys  and  Indians,  thrilling 
rescues  along  the  seacoast,  the  daring  of  picture  hunters 
in  the  jungle  among  savage  beasts,  and  the  great  risks  run 
in  picturing  conditions  in  a  land  of  earthquakes.  The 
volumes  teem  with  adventures  and  will  be  found  interesting 
from  first  chapter  to  last. 

THE  MOVING  PICTURE  BOYS 
Or  Perils  of  a  Great  City  Depicted. 

THE  MOVING  PICTURE  BOYS  IN  THE  WEST 
Or  Taking  Scenes  Among  the  Cowboys  and  Indians. 

THE  MOVING  PICTURE  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 
Or  Showing  the  Perils  of  the  Deep. 

THE  MOVING  PICTURE  BOYS  IN  THE  JUNGLE 
Or  Stirring  Times  Among  the  Wild  Animals. 

THE  MOVING  PICTURE  BOYS  IN  EARTHQUAKE 
Or  Working  Amid  Many  Perils.  LAND 

THE  MOVING  PICTURE  BOYS  AND  THE  FLOOD 
Or  Perilous  Days  on  the  Mississippi. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,  526  WEST  26th  ST.,  NEW  YORK 


THE   MOTION    PICTURE 
CHUMS   SERIES 

By  VICTOR  APPLETON 

I2mo  CLOTH.    ILLUSTRATED.       PRICE    PER    VOLUME    40    CENTS,    POSTPAID 

In  these  stories  we  follow  the  adventures  of  three  boys, 
who,  after  purchasing  at  auction  the  contents  of  a  moving 
picture  house,  open  a  theatre  of  their  own.  Their  many 
trials  and  tribulations,  leading  up  to  the  final  success  of 
their  venture,  make  very  entertaining  stories. 

THE  MOTION  PICTURE  CHUMS'  FIRST  VENTURE 
Or  Opening  a  Photo  Playhouse  in  Fairlands. 

The  adventures  of  Frank,  Randy  and  Pep  Ki  running  a  Motion 
Picture  show.  They  had  trials  and  tribulations  but  finally  succeed, 

THE  MOTION  PICTURE  CHUMS  AT  SEASIDE  PARK 
Or  The  Rival  Photo  Theatres  of  the  Boardwalk. 

Their  success  at  Fairlands  encourages  the  boys  to  open  their  show 
at  Seaside  Park,  where  they  have  exciting  adventures— also  a  profitable 
F^ason. 

THE  MOTION  PICTURE  CHUMS  ON  BROADWAY 
Or  The  Mystery  of  the  Missing  Cash  Box. 

Backed  by  a  rich  western  friend  the  chums  established  a  photo 
playhouse  in  the  great  metropolis,  where  new  adventures  await  them. 

•THE  MOTION  PICTURE  CHUMS'  OUTDOOR  EXHIBITION 

Or  The  Film  that  Solved  a  Mystery. 

This  time  the  play-house  was  in  a  big  summer  park.  How  a  film 
that  was  shown  gave  a  clew  to  an  important  mystery  is  interestingly 
reiated. 

THE  MOTION  PICTURE  CHUMS'  NEW  IDEA 

Or  The  First  Educational  Photo  Playhouse. 

In  this  book  the  scene  is  shifted  to  Boston,  and  there  is  intense 
rivalry  in  the  establishment  of  photo  playhouses  of  educational  value. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,  526  WEST  26th  ST.,  NEW  YORK 


The  Outdoor  Chums  Series 

By  CAPTAIN  QUINCY  ALLEN 

The  outdoor  chums  are  four  wide-awake  lads,  sons  of 
wealthy  men  of  a  small  city  located  on  a  lake*  The  boys 
love  outdoor  life,  and  are  greatly  interested  in  hunting, 
fishing,  and  picture  taking.  They  have  motor  cycles, 
motor  boats,  canoes,  etc.,  and  during  their  vacations  go 
everywhere  and  have  all  sorts  of  thrilling  adventures. 
The  stories  give  full  directions  for  camping  out,  how  to 
fish,  how  to  hunt  wild  animals  and  prepare  the  skins  for 
stuffing,  how  to  manage  a  canoe,  how  to  swim,  etc.  Full 
of  the  very  spirit  of  outdoor  life. 

THE  OUTDOOR  CHUMS 

Or,  The  First  Tour  of  the  Rod,  Gun  and  Camera  Clubi   j 

THE  OUTDOOR  CHUMS  ON  THE  LAKE 

Or,  Lively  Adventures  on  Wildcat  Island. 

THE  OUTDOOR  CHUMS  IN  THE  FOREST 

Or,  Laying  the  Ghost  of  Oak  Ridge.  t 

THE  OUTDOOR  CHUMS  ON  THE  GULF 

Or,  Rescuing  the  Lost  Balloonists. 

THE  OUTDOOR  CHUMS  AFTER  BIG  GAME 

Or,  Perilous  Adventures  in  the  Wilderness. 

i2mo.  Averaging  240  pages.  Illustrated.  Hand? 
•omely  bound  in  Cloth. 

Price,  ^O  Cents  per  Volume 

GROSSET   &  DUNLAP          -         NEW  YORK 


THE  BOYS  OF  COLUMBIA  HIGH  SERIES 

By  GRAHAM  B.  FORBES 

Never  was  there  a  cleaner,  brighter,  more  manly  boy 
than  Frank  Allen,  the  hero  of  this  series  of  boys'  tales, 
and  never  was  there  a  better  crowd  of  lads  to  associate 
with  than  the  students  of  the  School.  All  boys  will  read 
these  stories  with  deep  interest.  The  rivalry  between  the 
towns  along  the  river  was  of  the  keenest,  and  plots  and 
counterplots  to  win  the  championships,  at  baseball,  at 
football,  at  boat  racing,  at  track  athletics,  and  at  ice 
hockey,  were  without  number.  Any  lad  reading  one 
volume  of  this  series  will  surely  want  the  others. 

The  Boys  of  Columbia  High ; 

Or  The  All  Around  Rivals  of  the  School. 

The  Boys  of  Columbia  High  on  the  Diamond; 

Or  Winning  Out  by  Pluck. 

The  Boys  of  Columbia  High  on  the  River; 

Or  The  Boat  Race  Plot  that  Failed. 

The  Boys  of  Columbia  High  on  the  Gridiron; 

Or  The  Struggle  for  the  Silver  Cup. 

The  Boys  of  Columbia  High  on  the  Ice; 

Or  Out  for  the  Hockey  Championship. 

12010.     Illustrated.     Handsomely  bound  in  cloth,  with 
cover  design  and  wrappers  in  colors. 

Pries,  40  cents  per  volume. 
GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,  Publishers,  NEW  YORK 


THE  DICK  HAMILTON  SERIES 

By  HOWARD  R.  GARIS 

A    SERIES    THAT    HAS     BECOME     VERY     POPULAR 

DICK  HAMILTON'S  FORTUNE 

Or  The  Stirring  Doings  of  a  Millionaire's  Son. 

Dick,  the  son  of  a  millionaire,  has  a  fortune  left  to  him  by  his 
mother.  But  before  he  can  touch  the  bulk  of  this  money  it  is  stipulated 
in  his  mother's  will  that  he  must  do  certain  things,  in  order  to  prove 
that  he  is  worthy  of  possessing  such  a  fortune.  The  doings  of  Dick 
and  his  chums  make  the  liveliest  kind  of  reading. 

DICK  HAMILTON'S  CADET  DAYS 
Or  The  Handicap  of  a  Millionaire's  Son. 

The  hero  is  sent  to  a  military  academy  to  make  his  way  without 
the  use  of  money.  Life  at  an  up-to-date  military  academy  is  described, 
with  target  shooting,  broadsword  exercise,  trick  riding,  sham  battles 
etc.  Dick  proves  himself  a  hero  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word. 

DICK  HAMILTON'S  STEAM  YACHT 
Or  A  Young  Millionaire  and  the  Kidnappers. 

A  series  of  adventures  while  yachting  in  which  our  hero's  wealth 
plays  a  part.  Dick  is  marooned  on  an  island,  recovers  his  yacht  and 
foils  the  kidnappers.  The  wrong  young  man  is  spirited  away,  Dick 
gives  chase  and  there  is  a  surprising  rescue  at  sea. 

DICK  HAMILTON'S  FOOTBALL  TEAM 
Or  A  Young  Millionaire  on  the  Gridiron. 

A  very  interesting  account  of  how  Dick  developed  a  champion 
team  and  of  the  lively  contests  with  other  teams.  There  is  also  related 
a  number  of  thrilling  incidents  in  which  Dick  is  the  central  figure. 

DICK  HAMILTON'S  AIRSHIP 
Or  A  Young  Millionaire  in  the  Clouds. 

Tells  how  Dick  built  an  airship  to  compete  in  a  twenty  thousand 
Collar  prize  contest,  and  of  many  adventures  he  experiences. 

12mo.  Handsomely  printed  and  illustrated,  and  bound  in  cloth 
Stamped  in  colors.  Printed  wrappers. 

Price,  60  Cents  per  volume,  postpaid 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,  526  WEST  26th  ST.,  NEW  YORK 


The   Putnam   Hall  Series 

Companion  Stories  to  the  Famous  Rover  Boys  Series 

By  ARTHUR  M.  WINFIELD 

Open-air  pastimes  have  always  been  popular  with  boys,  and 
should  always  be  encouraged.  These  books  mingle  adventure 
and  fact,  and  will  appeal  to  every  manly  boy. 

i2mo.    Handsomely  printed  and  illustrated. 

Price  GO  Cents  Per  Voltimo,  Postpaid. 

THE  PUTNAM  HALL  MYSTERY 

Or  The  School  Chums'  Strange  Discovery 

The  particulars  of  the  mystery  and  the  solution  of  it  are  very 
interesting  reading. 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  ENCAMPMENT 

Or  The  Secret  of  the  Old  Mill 

A  story  full  of  vim  and  vigor,  telling  what  the  cadets  did  during 
the  summer  encampment,  including  a  visit  to  a  mysterious  old 
mill,  said  to  be  haunted.  The  book  has  a  wealth  of  fun  in  it. 

THE  PUTNAM  HALL  REBELLION 
Or  The  Rival  Runaways 

The  boys  had  good  reasons  for  running  away  during  Captain 
Putnam's  absence.  They  had  plenty  of  fun,  and  several  queer 
adventures. 

THE  PUTNAM  HALL  CHAMPIONS 
Or  Bound  to  Win  Out 

\n  this  volume  the  Putnam  Hall  Cadets  show  what  they  can 
do  in  various  keen  rivalries  on  the  athletic  field  and  elsewhere. 
There  is  one  victory  which  leads  to  a  most  unlooked-for  disco  very. 

THE  PUTNAM  HALL  CADETS 

Or  Good  Times  in  School  and  Out 

The  cadets  are  lively,  flesh-and-blood  fellows,  bound  to  make 
friends  from  the  start.  There  are  some  keen  rivalries,  in  school 
and  out,  and  something  is  told  of  a  remarkable  midnight  feast  and 
a  hazing  that  had  an  unlooked  for  ending. 

THE  PUTNAM  HALL  RIVALS 
Or  Fun  and  Sport  Afloat  and  Ashore 

It  is  a  lively,  rattling,  breezy  story  of  school  life  in  this  country 

•ritten  by  one  who  knows  all  about ' 
ties,  its  glorious  excitements,  and  its 


written  by  one  who  knows  all  about  its  pleasures  and  its  perplexi- 

chilling  disappointments. 


GROSSET  &  DUNLAP         -         NEW  YORK 


The  Flag  and  Frontier  Series 

By  CAPTAIN  RALPH  BONEHILL. 

These  bracing  stories  of  American  life,  exploration  and  adventure 
should  find  a  place  in  every  school  and  home  library  tor  the  enthusiasm 
they  kindle  in  American  heroism  and  history.  The  historical  background 
is  absolutely  correct.  Every  volume  complete  in  itself. 

izmo.     Bound  in  cloth.    Stamped  in  colors. 

Price*  GO  Cents  per  Volume.     Postpaid. 

WITH  BOONE  ON  THE  FRONTIER,  Or  The  Pioneer   Boys  of 
Old  Kentucky. 

Relates  the  true-to-lrfe  adventures  of  two  boys  who,  in  company  with 
their  folks,  move  westward  with  Daniel  Boone.   Contains  many  thrilling 
scenes  among  the  Indians  and  encounters  with  wild  animals. 
PIONEER   BOYS   OF  THE    GREAT  NORTHWEST,    Or  With 
Lewis  and  Clark  Across  the  Rockies. 

A  splendid  story  describing  in  detail  the  great  expedition  formed  un- 
der the  leadership  of  Lewis  and  Clark,  and  telling  what  was  done  by  the 
pioneer  boys  who  were  first  to  penetrate  the  wilderness  of  the  northwest. 
PIONEER  BOYS  OF  THE   GOLD   FIELDS.  Or   The   Nugget 
Hunters  of  '49. 

Giving  the  particulars  of  the  great  rush  of  the  gold  seekers  to  Califor- 
nia in  1849     In  the  party  making  its  way  across  the  continent  are  three 
boys  who  become  dmms,  and  share  in  no  end  of  adventures. 
WITH  CUSTER  IN    THE   BLACK   HILLS,  Or  A  Young  Scout 
Among  the  Indians. 

Tells  of  the  experiences  of  a  youth  who,  with  his  parents,  goes  to  the 
Black  Hills  in  search  of  gold.    Custer's  last  battle  is  well  described., 
BOYS  OF  THE  FORT,  Or  A  Young  Captain's  Pluck. 

This  story  of  stirring  doings  at  one  of  our  well-known  forts  in  the 
Wild  West  is  of  more  than  ordinary  interest.    Gives  a  good  insight  into 
army  life  of  to-day. 
THE  YOUNG  BANDMASTER,  Or  Concert,  Stage  and  Battlefield. 

The  hero  is  a  youth  who  becomes  a  cornetist  in  an  orchestra,  and  works 
his  way  up  to  the  leadership  of  a  brass  band.     He  is  carried  off  to  sea 
and  is  taken  to  Cuba,  and  while  there  joins  a  military  band  which  accom- 
panies our  soldiers  in  the  attack  on  Santiago. 
OFF  FOR  HAW  AH,  Or  The  Mystery  of  a  Great  Volcano. 

Several  boys  start  on  a  tour  ot  the  Hawaiian  Islands.     They  have 
heard  that  there  is  a  treasure  located  in  the  vicinity  of  Kilauea,  the  larg« 
est  active  volcano  in  the  world,  and  go  in  search  of  it. 
A  SAILOR  BOY  WITH  DEWEY,  Or  Afloat  in  the  Philippines. 

The  story  of  Dewey's  victory  in  Manila  Bay  as  it  appeared  to  a  real, 
five  American  youth  who  was  in  the  navy  at  the  time.    Many  adventure* 
in  Manila  and  in  the  interior  follow. 
WHEN  SANTIAGO  FELL,  Or  The  War  Adventures  of  Two  Chums. 

Two  boys  leave  New  York  to  join  their  parents  in  Cuba.  The  war 
between  Spain  and  the  Cubans  is  on,  and  the  boys  are  detained  at  Santi- 
ago, but  escape  across  the  bay  at  night.  Many  adventures  follow. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,        I        NEW  YORK 


PI 

7 


